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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24079960">Noxian Aristocracy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/countconiine/pseuds/countconiine'>countconiine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>League of Legends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Complete, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/F, Friendship/Love, Mild Smut, Romance, found family trope, im such a sucker for lonely characters finding love and friendships and thats that on that</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:08:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>34,290</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24079960</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/countconiine/pseuds/countconiine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shyvana doesn't trust Jarvan's plan to rescue the prisoners of war from Noxus. Setting out to scout for her own answers, she makes a wrong turn and ends up in a sticky web. With the daunting realization that Elise may be their one hope in rescuing their imprisoned soldiers, she is faced with the burning question - can she trust her?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elise/Shyvana (League of Legends)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was setting and the rendez-vous point was nowhere in sight yet. The dense pines made the rocky terrain more difficult to traverse than Shyvana had anticipated, but the occasional icy gust meant they were getting close. The 15 or so soldiers that followed her were getting tired, slowed by their heavy armor, and lack of rest.</p><p>As the light began to fade, the troops relied more and more on the half-dragon to see them through the foliage safely, her vision unimpaired by the dark. As they marched, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. It seemed to move swiftly through the trees, but when she looked, it was gone. She tensed but kept going. They were nearly there.</p><p>Soon, through the trees, she spotted the faint light of a campfire.</p><p>"We're here," she said to others, and they gathered their last strengths to make it into the clearing.</p><p>The other divisions were already waiting for them, and Quinn's scouts had taken to setting up the campsite. They had gathered dry and clean wood for the fire so it wouldn't smoke as much, and had kept the flame small to draw less attention.</p><p>Jarvan was busy discussing plans with his group of Demacian generals when he heard Shyvana's troops approach. He walked over to greet her.</p><p>"Glad you made it safely. Any injuries?"</p><p>"None, though I did notice something just before we got here. There was a dark shadow in one of the trees, but it was gone as fast as it came." She scanned the campsite. Fiora's duelists were sharing the rations among them, sitting quietly by their tents. Some sharpened and polished their blades and daggers, others passed around a bottle of wine that someone had brought.</p><p>Jarvan nodded. "Most probably some animal. Rest your soldiers. We'll have Quinn scout the area in the early morning. We already have an idea of where they're keeping the prisoners, so it shouldn't take long." He headed back to his tent to carry on talking the strategies through with Garen and a couple other high ranking officers that had accompanied them.</p><p>"Great." Shyvana nodded towards the camp, letting her troops sit down and take their armor off.</p><p>She went to sit down next to Fiora, seeing that the bottle of wine had gotten round to her.</p><p>"I see you're finally here," she said, taking a sip.</p><p>Shyvana reached out for the bottle and took a deep gulp before passing it on. "I swear if it were up to me we'd have stormed right through Noxus and been done with it by now."</p><p>Fiora chuckled. "I'd have loved to see that." She tested the edge of her blade with her finger, smiling at the gleaming steel.</p><p>Another cold gust stormed through the air and rocked the dainty flamed of the fire. It seemed like the Freljord weather still held some influence in the north of Noxus, and the shockwaves of the blizzards that raged beyond the mountains could still be felt.</p><p>Quinn had finished briefing the scouts and she made her way over to the other two generals. "Do you guys want something to snack on? Valor brought a few wild rats in and we cooked them over the fire."</p><p>"Rats?" Fiora's face distorted in disgust. "No thank you."</p><p>"I'll have one, I'm starving," Shyvana answered, snatching a rodent and eating it in one swift motion.</p><p>Quinn sat down by the two of them and started gnawing at her own.</p><p>"Disgusting. Both of you." Fiora said.</p><p>Shyvana pondered what Jarvan had briefed to them before the mission. She didn't like his plan. He thought it was possible for them to slip in and out and take back the prisoners of war unharmed, but she felt like she knew better. He had put together a good team of captains, consisting of her, Fiora and Quinn but it won't be enough. She almost wanted to take matters into her own hands but knew she couldn't.</p><p>"What's the plan for your scouts then?" she asked.</p><p>"We wait till a little past midnight to move out. The Noxian border with the Freljord is mostly unmanned due to the mountain range separating them so we only expect few if any patrols. We know one of the fortresses is in the North of Noxus so we scout that one out first to confirm the prisoners are there like we thought."</p><p>"And if they're not?" Shyvana asked.</p><p>"If not then we push further in. If all goes well, we'll come back with locations and decide on the best plan to infiltrate. That's when my scouts and Fiora's duelists team up and take the prisoners back. If anything goes wrong, you know the signal to come barging in after us."</p><p>Shyvana noticed most of her soldiers had gone to sleep in their tents. She was suddenly aware of how tired she was.</p><p>"Wake me when your scouts set out," she said.</p><p>Quinn frowned. "Why?"</p><p>"You said there'd be no patrols at that time."</p><p>"Well yes but-"</p><p>Shyvana had already got up and left towards her tent to get some rest.</p><hr/><p>The sun hadn't even started coming up when Shyvana awoke to someone shaking her shoulder.</p><p>"Shyv? Shyv, you awake?"</p><p>The half-dragon opened her eyes to see Quinn standing over her.</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>"We're moving out. You wanted to know."</p><p>Shyvana nodded and got up, throwing her armor and helmet on.</p><p>Quinn's scouts were already on their way and she moved to follow them on their way to Noxus. There were a few glances from them to her, but being a captain, none of the troops questioned what she was doing.</p><p>"What are you doing?" Except for Quinn.</p><p>She looked back to make sure they were enough away from the camp as to not wake Jarvan. "You know how I feel about this whole thing," Shyvana answered.</p><p>"I'm asking what your plan is."</p><p>"I know Noxus has something up its sleeve. We're going to be walking into a trap."</p><p>"You don't need to worry about the scouts or me. We know what we're doing. But once we get there we can't have you following around." Quinn looked at Shyvana's armor and heavy steps. "No offense, but you're a dead giveaway."</p><p>"I won't get in your way."</p><p>Quinn let out a defeated sigh. She and Shyvana had been close friends for long enough to know that there was no changing the dragon's mind. She also knew that whatever she was planning on doing wasn't foolish and she trusted her. Sort of.</p><p>Nearing the Noxian border the scouts scattered and had already managed to evade a single, two manned patrol that crossed the roads unexpectedly. Shyvana had followed Quinn's lead up until this point, but once in Noxus she knew it was time to leave the scouts to do their thing.</p><p>The dragon had no plans to head too far into Noxus, knowing full well there was no hope for her to get by unnoticed, but that didn't stop her scouting the vicinity for herself.</p><p>There was little light at this point in the morning, as the sun was still to fully rise. She played the lack of visibility to her advantage as she could see things that others couldn't. The northern fortress that Quinn had mentioned was visible way off in the distance, but it was too far for her to see much more. There was a wide cobblestone road that led to and past the fortress. Diverging from the central road were small dirt paths that led around residential quarters.</p><p>Noxus was an ugly, macabre place. Nothing compared to the grandiosity of Demacia.</p><p>On these outskirts of Noxus there would usually be few people, and none at this time, but Shyvana still stayed away from the roads in the fear that she would be seen by someone, even in the dark.</p><p>She circled around for a little while, leaving the buildings behind her, hoping to be able to scour the city from a further, perhaps higher vantage point somewhere. Eventually, she found a narrow stone path and followed it for a little while, until she could see what it led to. At the end of the path, there were was a grand, ornate gate. The hinges had rusted and it seemed to be locked shut. Through it, Shyvana could see the estate that it guarded - a large mansion and what seemed to be a desolate and forgotten garden. Twilight had started to creep in across the sky, but the view of the house still remained almost unnaturally dark, like it was covered in something.</p><p>Curious, she decided to carefully take a closer look, wondering why such an impressive mansion outside the city would have been abandoned. There was no way she could enter through the gate, so she made her way around the walls looking for another point of entry, but unfortunately for her, they seemed intact everywhere. Coming round the back, she figured there would be no other option than to scale the cobblestone wall.</p><p>She dug her claws into the stone and heaved herself up along the height of the wall. Soon, she stood atop it and peered down into the garden. There was no sign of life anywhere in the mansion, and the state of its surroundings suggested there had been no one around for a long time. She couldn't see anything more, so she dropped down onto the dried up grass below.</p><p>Before she knew it, she felt something grabbing her from all sides, and as she tried to turn and fight she found that she couldn't. She writhed in the grasp of whatever she was trapped in, but to no avail. She was gasping for breath as she quickly exhausted herself. Slowing down, she realized she was cocooned in a thick spider web that must have sprung up onto her as soon as she hit the ground. Whatever this mansion served as, she had obviously walked right into one of its traps.</p><p>The dragon's mind was racing in trying to find a way out. She tried to use her claws but her arms were stuck by her side and the web wouldn't budge. She tried to throw her head to her chest and bite down onto it, but she couldn't get her teeth to it. Desperate, she was about to try breathing fire onto herself to burn it away, when she saw something approach.</p><p>Traipsing effortlessly from the side of the mansion and down onto the ground were a pair of enormous spiders. Seeing them approach, Shyvana tried once more to writhe out of the cocoon and run, but she was still helpless. The two spiders grabbed onto the web and pulled, causing her to crash onto the grass before being dragged away into the mansion. The half-dragon's strength was draining away with each attempt to break free, as it seemed like the more she tried, the tighter the web became.</p><p>Once inside the mansion, she realized it was littered with cobwebs. Huge, thick webs that no doubt belonged to the monstrous spiders that had brought her in. The hall seemed to have once been grandiose and lively but was now dark and full of horrors.</p><p>The spiders heaved her up onto the large oak table in the center of the hall and proceeded to wait. Shyvana looked around frantically. What were they waiting for?</p><p>"What's this?" The half-dragon turned at the sound of a woman walking in. Her voice would have been melodious if it wasn't for the terrifying situation she found herself in. She was incredibly pale, with porcelain-like skin and glowing, devilish red eyes. "What's this you've brought me?" As she neared, she noticed she had spider-like legs protruding from her back.</p><p>The spiders continued to wait, expectedly. What were they expecting?</p><p>Shyvana stared wide-eyed at the woman, sweat trickling down her forehead.</p><p>The stranger frowned as she studied her. "What are you?" She looked closely at her purple skin and ran her hand across the dragon's face. "Such rough, odd skin. Tell me. What are you?"</p><p>Shyvana clenched her teeth and did not answer.</p><p>The woman smiled. "They're not usually silent. Will you not beg me to let you out?"</p><p>The dragon's breaths quickened. "Who are you?"</p><p>"Why, I asked you something first, didn't I, my sweet?" She slowly ran her finger across Shyvana's jawline.</p><p>"I'm a half-dragon."</p><p>"A dragon! Oh my..." The woman chuckled. "How has a dragon come to be entrapped in one of my little webs? Hmm? When I first saw you in the woods I didn't think you'd go as far as coming to find me."</p><p>"The woods? That was you? The shadow? In the trees?"</p><p>"Oh do slow down, sweet. You're only making the web tighter."</p><p>Shyvana swallowed hard. "Who are you?"</p><p>"I'm Elise." The woman smiled again. "Lady Elise."</p><hr/><p>Outside, running along the edge of the cobblestone wall was a badger with wide, attentive eyes. It hurried off into Noxus as soon as it had seen Shyvana taken inside.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I must say, I am surprised." Elise's tone was seductive but eery. "It's been a long time since someone had fallen into one of these traps." She slipped Shyvana's helmet off, letting her fingers trail across her temples, before setting it down beside her on the table. "What brings you here?"</p>
<p>Shyvana had learned by this point to stop struggling against the web. Her arms were bound tightly by her side and she focused hard on breathing against the bindings. She struggled to stay turned to see Elise.</p>
<p>"Let's not squeeze the life out of you yet."</p>
<p>Elise ran her finger down Shyvana's chest, cutting the webbing open and stopping at her waist. With her chest now free, the dragon took deep breaths in, but her hands were still stuck against her hips and she tried to wriggle them free.</p>
<p>"Oh no, my sweet. Don't try that, else I'll put you back in the web," the spider woman said, draping a hang across Shyvana's chest plate. "Let's talk for a moment, hmm? Tell me why you're here." She knew that letting her go at this point would surely mean she would attack her.</p>
<p>"I thought this place was abandoned." Having gotten her breath back, the dragon began to calm down slightly and lied back down on the table.</p>
<p>Elise felt a wave of sadness come over her at that comment, but she didn't let it show. "Well it doesn't seem that way now does it? Tell me. Where are you from?"</p>
<p>Shyvana gulped. "Freljord."</p>
<p>"Freljord?" Elise frowned. "Strange. I was sure I saw you coming from the West." She ran her fingers up from her chest plate and onto her neck, tapping faintly on her carotid before guiding her head to face her. "A being as handsome as you wouldn't be from Demacia, would she?"</p>
<p>The dragon's thoughts raced between having been caught lying to being called handsome. There was something enthralling about her captor, no matter how much she tried to ignore it. Her eyes pierced right through her, glowing red like a devil, and her skin looked soft, though unnaturally pale. Shyvana also couldn't help but notice the revealing black outfit.</p>
<p>"Lost in thought?"</p>
<p>She realized she had let her eyes wander for a moment, so she rested her head back onto the table and stared at the ceiling as she spoke. "No. I'm not from Demacia."</p>
<p>Elise seemed to ponder for a moment, before shooing the two spiders away. They seemed dejected but did as they were told and disappeared into the darkness of the halls. She lifted herself up onto the table and sat next to Shyvana.</p>
<p>"I must say, you're a very unusual visitor. That may have just worked out in your favor." She ran her finger up from Shyvana's feet to her hips and undid the web. The dragon immediately tried to stand, but Elise was quick in shooting a web binding around Shyvana's hands, pulling her down so she fell back on the table. Around them, a crowd of spiders had quickly gathered in the shadows, and Shyvana stared at the glowing eyes watching her from the darkness.</p>
<p>Elise chuckled. "I'm so sorry. I forgot to mention." She shooed the spiders away with her hand again. "No sudden movements. They sense fear."</p>
<p>Shyvana nodded and Elise undid her handcuffs. This time, the dragon sat beside her on the table, scanning the room out of the corner of her eye in case the spiders reappeared.</p>
<p>"So what's a Demacian doing so far from home?"</p>
<p>The dragon wasn't going to answer but she studied Elise more closely for a moment. She had been terrified by her spiderlings and her similar appearance wasn't too comforting, but she was shocked that other half-human half-creature hybrids existed other than herself. Then, she frowned.</p>
<p>"Were you planning to eat me?"</p>
<p>Elise pretended to be shocked. "Now that's just an angry accusation, isn't it, my sweet?" she smirked, but Shyvana's expression was growing angrier. "No. I wasn't. I wouldn't have let you go if I was." she looked out at the dark corners of the room. "Besides, I haven't had any... shall we say <em>visitors</em> here in a while. It's why I was out in the woods. I still have to keep my spiderlings fed with something."</p>
<p>"No one comes round here anymore? I'm not surprised by the way this place looks."</p>
<p>Elise didn't show her annoyance with that comment, and instead turned and smirked at Shyvana again. "And yet here you are." She was happy to just leave it at that, not wanting to tell the dragon how she used to lure in Noxian aristocrats to their doom. In her mind, they were corrupt, stuck-up imbeciles who flaunted their wealth and power around Noxus for nothing, and got what was coming to them, but not everyone would feel the same about what she did, or the way she did it.</p>
<p>"Am I free to go then?"</p>
<p>At this, Elise's smile faded a little. She wasn't sure why, but maybe she had grown a little fond of the half-dragon ever since first seeing her in the woods. The way they had met wasn't ideal, and no amount of her flirting would change that.</p>
<p>"Yes. Of course." She hopped off the table. "I'll see you out. Wouldn't want the spiderlings getting the wrong idea." She smirked at Shyvana, but she wasn't amused.</p>
<p>She led Shyvana outside and opened the front gate for her. "Next time you come to visit me, don't scale the wall. Just call for me at the gate." She winked at the dragon. She didn't answer, but her purple cheeks were blushing slightly and she nodded.</p>
<p>As Shyvana walked away, she turned round to see Elise still watching her from the gate. She debated whether to thank her for sparing her, but her pride as a soldier would never let her admit defeat, so she just kept going. When the mansion was out of sight, she wanted to let out a sigh of relief, before something sprung at her and a blade was held up to her throat. She felt the metal touching her skin and looked at the attacker. She relaxed as soon as she saw Fiora.</p>
<p>"What the hell do you think you're doing? You're putting all of us at risque!" She whispered angrily, lowering her blade. Behind her, she also saw Quinn.</p>
<p>"How did you know I was here?"</p>
<p>"Oh how I would love to tell you." Fiora started, her tone seething with anger. "Quinn's scouts had gotten back without her and, low and behold, one of her birds had a message for me telling me Shyvana was in trouble and to come meet Quinn at the Noxian border. I lied to Jarvan as to where his captains had gone, god forbid he ever check whether there really is a lake nearby, only to come find you wandering around. What the hell were you thinking leaving the camp?"</p>
<p>"I... How did you know something happened?"</p>
<p>"I sent one of my scouts to follow you. A little badger. You probably didn't notice him - he's very good at his job." Quinn answered. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Shyv. We really thought you were in trouble. The badger said you got caught by... giant... spiders...?" Quinn squinted, not believing it herself.</p>
<p>Fiora rolled her eyes. "I always doubted whether you could talk to those things. No way he said giant spiders."</p>
<p>"Shouldn't we get out of here first? I can explain later." Shyvana was aware that the sun was coming up and the Noxian patrols will be switching any minute now.</p>
<p>They made it out of Noxus and before arriving at the camp, the dragon was pressed for answers.</p>
<p>"I went to investigate this old abandoned mansion. I shouldn't have gone so close, but there was something odd about it. I had the feeling there was something going on with it and I was right. Except I also ended up walking right into a spider web."</p>
<p>"So there <em>were</em> giant spiders?!" Fiora asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah."</p>
<p>Quinn smiled. "I never doubted Mr. Stripes!"</p>
<p>"His name is Mr. Stripes?" Fiora shot her an unimpressed look.</p>
<p>"Yes, his face is stripey, it makes perfect sense, and he likes it."</p>
<p>There really was no arguing with that so they pressed Shyvana for more information.</p>
<p>"How did you escape?" asked Quinn.</p>
<p>"I broke out of the web, of course. Burnt those arachnids alive. They didn't realize I was a literal dragon."</p>
<p>"And was there anything else there? Did those spiders just come to exist in that mansion?" Fiora asked. "If there's someone there, surely they would be a useful tool for us, given that they own giant monsters. If there's a way to control the spiders in our favor, we wouldn't have to risk our troops on getting the prisoners back."</p>
<p>Shyvana hesitated. "Umm..." Fiora made a great point, but she was certain that Jarvan's way of dealing with it would be to send someone in and demand an allegiance from Elise, who would surely oppose, and then what? He couldn't have someone divulge their plans to Noxus so he would force her to cooperate. Ironically, it was his lack of brute force that Shyvana originally disagreed on and now she was afraid that he might use it.</p>
<p>"No," she said. "There's no one else there. I don't think there's a way to control the spiders."</p>
<p>"Shame." Fiora shook her head.</p>
<p>"Hey, Shyvana? Where's your helmet?" Quinn asked.</p>
<p>She froze for a moment. "Fuck." She realized that she never picked her helmet up after Elise took it off. "It must have fallen off somewhere in the mansion. When I was fighting the spiders."</p>
<p>"How bizarre," Fiora said. "Your helmet never usually falls off in battle."</p>
<p>"Yeah. But there were a lot of spiders. One must have swooped in and knocked it off."</p>
<p>"Should I send a scout to retrieve it or-?"</p>
<p>"No!" Shyvana cleared her throat. "I mean, no don't risk your scouts. I'll go get it myself tonight. Don't worry."</p>
<p>"How happy I am to hear that you'll be sneaking around Noxus again." Fiora rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>Back at the camp, Jarvan looked up from the collection of maps set up in his tent. "You're all finally back. It would be helpful if you'd let us know a little in advance that you'll leave somewhere."</p>
<p>"Yes of course, Sir. We helped Quinn clean up. She took a fall while on the scouting mission." Fiora answered.</p>
<p>He nodded. "Very well. I was preparing to brief the troops on what the scouts found out. It seems to not be good news from what I've heard."</p>
<p>Jarvan got everyone's attention and they gathered around him silently. "Quinn's regiment has returned to us early this morning. They have found that the prisoners are not being kept together, in the same fortress in the north as we had hoped. They have been split up and are dotted around Noxus. What's more - it seems from the preparations that the streets are in that there is a festival to be celebrated in the coming days on the streets of Noxus, so our mission would be next to impossible due to the crowds and increased security in the center of the city. From this point, we have no other way to reach the remaining fortresses."</p>
<p>Chatter spread around the camp.</p>
<p>"Please, can I have your attention!" Jarvan raised his voice enough to be heard, but not enough that he may draw attention to their campsite. "This does not mean our mission has failed. It only means we will be camping out a few more days than we expected until the madness blows over and the city returns to normal."</p>
<p>"With all due respect, Sir," Fiora started, "would it not be useful to use the festival as a distraction?"</p>
<p>"I have thought of that. But unfortunately, Noxus knows the importance of its political prisoners enough that they made preparations in the event that the festival be used as such. With no doubt, the fortresses will have extra soldiers manning them during this time. It would be far too risky."</p>
<p>"How long is the festival?" A soldier spoke up.</p>
<p>"We're unsure at this time. We hope no longer than a couple of days."</p>
<p>The chatter was beginning to spread through the crowd again. "In any case, I have sent word to Demacia via a winged scout that we are to be sent extra supplies. That is all."</p>
<p>Shyvana sighed. "I can't stand thinking those people are being tortured in their cells while we sit idly waiting for some festival to end."</p>
<p>Fiora shook her head. "Your giant spiders were the closest thing to a plan that we came up with today. Merde."</p>
<p>The dragon's gaze drifted to the ground as she thought about that. Maybe there was still a way to use the spiders, but the time it would take her to gain Elise's trust and convince her to work with them would surely be longer than however much the festival lasted. Besides, Shyvana was terrible at dealing with people. She never had a way with words and would definitely fail in trying to convince anyone into anything. Still, she was going back there tonight for her helmet. Perhaps she could test the waters a little.</p>
<p>The soldiers sat down to have breakfast, and soon after, Quinn excused herself from the other captains as it was her shift to be the lookout. She called out for Valor and they headed up the cliffs north of the campsite to overlook the vicinity. Fiora followed her with her gaze, remembering where she went before leaving Shyvana, telling her she needed some pine sap for her blade.</p>
<p>The duelist walked out of sight and climbed up the rocks after Quinn, meeting her at the top.</p>
<p>"Something wrong?" Quinn asked, having watched her make her way up.</p>
<p>"Oui. With Shyvana." She sat down on the boulder's edge next to Quinn. "She may be lying. La petite merde."</p>
<p>"About the mansion?"</p>
<p>Fiora nodded. "There was somebody there and she didn't tell us. There must have been. Unless you've heard of many giant spiders living in expensive mansions around Runeterra, then I may know who they belong to."</p>
<p>"Who?"</p>
<p>"I don't remember every detail but there was a house. House... Zavaan I think. Something terrible must have happened because their name and reputation fell and most left. But some say the remaining lady of house Zavaan is a wretched spider creature."</p>
<p>Quinn frowned. "How do you know this?"</p>
<p>"The Laurents are a wealthy well-known house. We tend to know and hear about the other houses of Runeterra, but Zavaan hasn't been talked about in years and the only things I know are rumors."</p>
<p>"Why would Shyvana lie?"</p>
<p>"I don't know but I don't believe she would be trying to protect a vile monster. Maybe the creature wasn't home when she was there. In any case, I think you need to follow her again, in case she runs into it."</p>
<p>Quinn considered this for a moment. "I don't know, Fi. She didn't like it when I spied on her last time."</p>
<p>"It's for her own good. She's too cocky in these situations. Just send Mr..." Fiora let out an exasperated sigh, "...Mr. Stripes."</p>
<p>"I'll let him know," Quinn said, smiling that Fiora remembered his name.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As night began to fall, Shyvana waited until everyone was in their tents and fast asleep before sneaking out. She made her way as silently as she could away from the campsite and headed down into Noxus. She had taken the same path Quinn's scouts had, hoping to remember their tricks in staying hidden. The patrols must have been switching shifts because she passed by without seeing any soldiers.</p>
<p>Little did she realize that a while away, a little badger was following attentively.</p>
<p>The dragon hurried and found the same cobblestone path taking her into the outskirts of the city. She came to the desolate estate and walked up to the gate. Thinking about what Elise had said, she felt silly trying to call for her in the night, so she pushed the gate to see if it was open. To her surprise, it was, but as she opened it, the rusty hinges let out a screech. She froze, holding the gate ajar and looking around her to see if there was anyone nearby to have heard it. Convinced that she was alone, she squeezed through the opening she had made.</p>
<p>There was a tiled path leading up to the mansion. She stepped carefully, looking out for any traps. Once up to the grand door of the house, she hesitated before knocking twice on the solid oak.</p>
<p>She held her hands together, and fiddled her thumbs, realizing she was nervous. It wasn't like her to feel anxious, but she remembered that this was a delicate situation. She needed to try, if she could, to gain Elise's trust and convince her to help them.</p>
<p>The door opened and Shyvana looked down at Elise standing in the doorway. It was at this point that she realized she was a full head taller than the spider woman.</p>
<p>"Oh my oh my..." Elise teased. "For someone so eager to leave you sure made it back quickly." She flashed a confident smirk, her striking red eyes piercing through her.</p>
<p>Shyvana gulped. "Hi. I left my helmet here."</p>
<p>Elise nodded. "I noticed. Well, do come in, my sweet." She turned and led Shyvana inside, glancing over her shoulder at the half-dragon. They made their way into the dining hall where Shyvana was bound the night before, except this time, she noticed, it was better lit and there were two wine glasses at the table. Perhaps Elise had anticipated that she would be back for her helmet. A bottle of red wine was being fetched by a spiderling, who obediently placed it up on the table and left back into the shadows.</p>
<p>"You've come awfully late in the night. You snuck out of your campsite, did you?"</p>
<p>Shyvana frowned. "Do you know where our camp is?"</p>
<p>Elise chuckled. "Don't be silly. I know everything that goes on in these woods. Do you remember? I need to hunt for my spiderlings." She motioned towards a seat at the table for the dragon to sit down and she pulled up her own chair close to her. She poured the wine, crossed her legs, and sat back against her seat, glass raised and eyeing Shyvana.</p>
<p>Out of the corner of her eye, the dragon spotted a spiderling fetching her helmet. It crawled right up to her, holding it in its jaws, and placed its front legs on Shyvana's knees to heave itself up and be able to drop in her lap. At the touch of the spider's feet, the dragon flinched, but relaxed again as she realized it wanted nothing more to do with her, and backed away sheepishly.</p>
<p>"You needn't be scared of them, my sweet."</p>
<p>Shyvana inspected her helmet but it was exactly as she had left it.</p>
<p>"There are no spiders in it," Elise said. "It won't bite."</p>
<p>"Thank you." Shyvana placed it on the table, making a mental note not to forget it again, and grabbed her wine glass. She considered taking a sip but realized she hadn't seen Elise drink hers yet.</p>
<p>As though she had read her mind, Elise smiled and held her glass out. "Cheers."</p>
<p>They clinked their glasses and tasted the wine together. It was nice and sweet. Shyvana felt the warmth of the alcohol flowing through her, and noticed that Elise's cheeks had gone a little rosy. She tried not to, but still left her gaze to linger a while on the woman's features, and she couldn't help thinking of how beautiful she was. Whatever plan she had in mind of what she would say was now clouded over.</p>
<p>"So tell me," Elise started, "what brings a dragon into the Demacian ranks?"</p>
<p>Her smiles were throwing Shyvana's thoughts off, but the story of how she came to Demacia was easy for her to retell. She didn't want to bore Elise with everything that happened, but it seemed like the spider woman was listening attentively to what she was saying. Every now and then she would give an understanding nod and her eyes never left Shyvana. When the dragon talked about having saved Jarvan, Elise's gaze drifted to her muscular arms and she stumbled on her words for a few moments but finished the story nevertheless.</p>
<p>"Impressive," Elise remarked. "Not that I expected anything less from a fearsome dragon." She smirked, sipping her wine.</p>
<p>Shyvana blushed. She wasn't used to being flirted with and didn't know how to reply. She looked down at her glass and downed the rest of her wine.</p>
<p>Elise would have no problem seducing the aristocrats she so often used to prey on, but now it was different. Shyvana may be a proud soldier, but she wasn't full of herself and didn't seem to respond to her relentless flirting. For once, she was questioning whether her tactics were working, which she put down to the fact that it had been so long since she had seen someone. Part of her may have also been trying to tell her that it was because she genuinely liked Shyvana. Maybe it was her draconic strength and muscular build, or maybe it was her awkward but adorable nature. She couldn't tell.</p>
<p>"How about you? How did you become half spider?" Shyvana asked. She was keen to find out how other hybrids like her existed.</p>
<p>"Oh, well..." Elise chuckled. She had her own long story to tell, but a lot of it was unflattering and made her sound evil. "I was bitten by a spider god in the Shadow Isles years ago. He shared his power with me, and here I am." She cut it short and to the point.</p>
<p>"The Shadow Isles? What were you doing over there?"</p>
<p>"I was going to retrieve an artifact for a friend after she told me it would restore me to my former self. Instead, I came back as a spider."</p>
<p>"Your former self?"</p>
<p>She realized now that she had given away too many details, and telling Shyvana the truth became unavoidable. "I was the lady of house Zavaan. My ex-husband poisoned me for controlling most of the house's power, and the vile liquid made my skin rot."</p>
<p>The dragon furrowed her brows. "I'm sorry. That sounds terrible." She clenched her fist. "I'd have him regret that."</p>
<p>Elise shook her head. "He's dead actually. I killed him myself."</p>
<p>"Oh. Well, that takes care of that."</p>
<p>"Yes. I suppose it does." The spider woman was glad she wasn't judged too harshly, but she still had no plans to divulge the other men she had killed in exchange for the power of the spider god. "Would you like another glass?" she asked.</p>
<p>Shyvana considered it for a moment. She shouldn't be drinking much as she'd need her wits about her on the way back to the camp. Looking at Elise, and her flushed cheeks from the alcohol made her say yes though. She wanted to stay a little longer.</p>
<p>Elise brought her chair closer to the dragon before pouring each of them another glass. As they talked, she leaned closer to Shyvana, until they were shoulder to shoulder, feeling warm from the alcohol. Elise looked up at her as she was telling a story about a yeti attack on the Demacian walls, listening to the pride in her voice when she described how she took them down.</p>
<p>"Long story short, we haven't seen any yetis come near us for a long time," Shyvana smiled, setting her glass down and turning to look at Elise to see if she was still listening. She froze when she realized how close they were, their faces mere inches from each other. Their eyes locked for a moment before her gaze slowly drifted to the spider woman's lips. Her head was fuzzy from the wine, and all she could think about was how soft they looked. As a dragon amongst humans, it was needless to say that she hadn't tried her hand at kissing before, but seeing the fullness of Elise's lips made her really want to.</p>
<p>"It's err..." Shyvana started. "It's getting late." She couldn't take her eyes off her and swallowed hard.</p>
<p>"I understand." Elise hooked her arm slowly around Shyvana's and lay her hand on her bicep. "I wouldn't want you getting in trouble and not coming back." She smirked and squeezed her arm gently, holding their position for a few seconds, making the dragon stumble on her own thoughts. Then, she stood up and gave the bottle and glasses to a spiderling to be put away, muttering praise to her pet.</p>
<p>The dragon blinked a few times as though she was coming back to reality. She remembered her helmet and held it under her arm as she followed Elise out. She opened the door and they stood in the doorway for a moment.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Shyvana remembered why she was there. "Hey, do you happen to know what the festival in the city is?"</p>
<p>Elise tilted her head to the side. "Why, yes. It's the celebration of local folklore turned into fighting shows and feasts." She sighed. "It's a loud and violent fortnight."</p>
<p>"A... whole fortnight?"</p>
<p>She nodded. "Indeed." Elise looked out at the sky, and seeing the first few signs of light, she decided they needed to say goodbye.</p>
<p>The spider woman reached up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Shyvana's cheek, making her blush a deep shade of purple.</p>
<p>"I'll see you next time," Elise smirked, slowly letting the door close as Shyvana was left standing dumbstruck on the porch. She felt the spot on her cheek where she was kissed, staring wide-eyed at the door. Her lips really were as soft as she thought.</p>
<p>Gathering her senses, she turned and headed back out through the gate. She was surprised so much time had passed, and the sun was just beginning to rise. She had a couple of hours of twilight left for her to be back before anyone noticed.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mr. Stripes waited patiently along the cobblestone wall for when dragon friend would return. He had run around trying to see inside the mansion, but the windows were fogged up with something and he couldn't see inside. He didn't dare venture closer after having seen what sorts of traps dragon friend had run into last night. Mr. Stripes was very scared of the big spiders.</p>
<p>Finally, he spotted dragon friend coming out of the mansion and he was ready to head back, happy that she was ok, but he lingered a moment longer. That's when he spotted spider stranger. Spider stranger was scary and he didn't like the long black legs she had on her back. Legs don't go on people's backs. She was all wrong.</p>
<p>To his surprise, spider stranger leaned and gave dragon friend a kiss. But dragon friend wasn't scared. Dragon friend was blushing. Mr. Stripes' eyes widened. Maybe spider stranger was friend too.</p>
<p>As dragon friend started walking away, he darted off back to camp before she could see him. He needed to tell Quinn about new friend.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was early morning and everyone was still asleep. Quinn and Fiora had walked out of earshot from the camp so they could talk to Shyvana privately when she came back. Quinn held Mr. Stripes up to her face and listened intently to what he was saying. Fiora was watching the story unfold as a series of squeaks and yelping from the little animal, and watched in confusion as Quinn was nodding along to whatever was happening.</p>
<p>"Thank you, Mr. Stripes." She put the badger down, patting him gently on the head. "You go rest. You did well." The little animal gave a few happy squeaks before running off back to the camp.</p>
<p>"Well?"</p>
<p>Quinn looked up at Fiora. "You were right. There's a spider woman living there."</p>
<p>"I knew it! A Laurent is never wrong."</p>
<p>"Well, there's also something else."</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"Apparently... she gave Shyvana a kiss on the way out."</p>
<p>They stood in silence for a moment as Fiora was processing the information. "They... kissed?"</p>
<p>"On the cheek."</p>
<p>"Ah mon Dieu." Fiora let out an exasperated sigh. "If I won't have words with that woman when she gets back then go and snap my blade in two."</p>
<p>Quinn could see that she was seething with anger and she was about to try and diffuse the situation when they saw Shyvana approach. The scout took a deep breath for what was about to unfold.</p>
<p>The dragon froze when she saw the two captains waiting for her. The duelist walked right up so her face and her burning fury were inches away from Shyvana.</p>
<p>"You think you're so clever sneaking around Noxus when you're in fact bedding the enemy and lying to your fellow captains, oui?"</p>
<p>"What are you-"</p>
<p>"Do you have <em>any</em> idea? Any idea at all about what you're getting into?"</p>
<p>Quinn had come up and grabbed Fiora's shoulder, pulling her back.</p>
<p>"Shh! Fi, please calm down. You'll wake someone."</p>
<p>The duelist closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Her red face returned to its normal color before she continued. "It's not smart, Shyvana. It's the opposite of smart. It is the very definition of naive," she said quieter, but still firm.</p>
<p>"What are you on about?"</p>
<p>"We know about the spider woman. We know you lied to us," Fiora replied.</p>
<p>"Wh- How?" Shyvana looked at Quinn who cast her glance on the ground. "You sent another scout after me? Why? I told you I didn't need help!"</p>
<p>"No, you look at me. You're dealing with me now." Fiora grabbed her face and turned her back to her. "I'm not just mad that you lied to us. I'm also not just mad that you're becoming close with a lady of Noxus. I am mad that you are enough of an idiot to think you won't just end up dead."</p>
<p>"Dead? What?"</p>
<p>"Don't play stupid. Like you don't know what she does."</p>
<p>"Elise? Well-"</p>
<p>"Yes, Elise. Yes, the Elise that turned house Zavaan into a show of horrors. The Elise that murders all who she kisses."</p>
<p>Shyvana tried to process what Fiora was saying to her. "Well, I haven't been murdered. Do you think someone could overpower a dragon?"</p>
<p>"Well I wouldn't know, has this dragon been trapped in a web before?" They stared each other down for a few moments. "And don't try to lie because Mr. Stripes saw you."</p>
<p>"It's very hard to take you seriously when you say Mr. Stripes."</p>
<p>"His name is as important as the rest of ours and there's nothing wrong with it!" Quinn chimed in.</p>
<p>"Oh, this is what you want to add?" Fiora shot her a glance. "Not the fact that our fellow captain is going to be seduced and eaten by giant spiders?"</p>
<p>"I will not be eaten by giant spiders," Shyvana said. "And I didn't tell either of you because I didn't want Jarvan knowing and marching in demanding that she use her spiders the way he wants. You're all getting the wrong picture. And Quinn, please. I don't need your badger to be my chaperone."</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, Shyv. We're just worried about you. And you shouldn't have lied to your friends."</p>
<p>"Ok, I'm sorry for lying. But I have a plan, I promise."</p>
<p>Fiora sighed. She knew Shyvana was just as stubborn as herself and that there was no talking her out of it.</p>
<p>"If we don't do this right and Jarvan gets wind of this, he'll try to take over and Elise would surely double-cross us. I need to make sure we can trust her."</p>
<p>"So you're planning to trick her into helping you?" Fiora rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"Don't put words in my mouth. I'm trying to get her to trust me so I can trust her. She may be a lady of Noxus but she's all alone. This city does nothing for her, so she may as well just help us. That, and I also found out the festival lasts a fortnight."</p>
<p>"A fortnight? Merde."</p>
<p>"Jarvan will need to send for even more supplies," Quinn said. "We won't have enough to wait that long."</p>
<p>"Yes, but we can't tell him. Then he'll want to know how I know."</p>
<p>The situation was getting more complicated by the minute, but the sun was soon to be fully up.</p>
<p>"I know she will have you think otherwise," Fiora whispered on the way back to the camp, "but please. Don't let your guard down around Elise. She will kill you if she sees fit, Shyvana. Don't lose control."</p>
<p>"I'll be careful."</p>
<p>They were at the camp just as everyone else was getting out of their tents. No one seemed to notice that they had snuck out, and Jarvan was none the wiser to where the dragon had been all night.</p>
<p>They sat down and had breakfast with the others, but Shyvana struggled to concentrate on any conversations for reasons besides her tiredness and sleepless night. She couldn't stop thinking about what Fiora said and realized she may have given Elise the benefit of the doubt, not knowing her true intentions. She thought back to how she had asked questions about Shyvana's life back in Demacia, and how she listened so attentively to her stories. She may have sprinkled in a few hyperboles for the sake of appearing more impressive, but whether Elise caught on or not didn't matter because she had seemed interested nonetheless. She found it hard to admit that she wanted the flirting to have been genuine, but considering what Fiora said, it would make perfect sense for it not to be.</p>
<p>She stirred around aimlessly in her bowl of porridge, staring at the oats. She sat cross-legged on the grass, not feeling the cold.</p>
<p>Quinn noticed Shyvana was more than just tired, so she grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a message on it, before giving it to Mr. Stripes, nodding towards the dragon.</p>
<p>Shyvana was brought back to reality as something tugged at her side. She looked down to see the badger holding up a little sign. The paper read "pet me to feel better. money-back guarantee". She let out a chuckle and stroked the badger's soft fur. He squeaked happily and snuggled closer to her, nudging her with his tiny nose.</p>
<p>She looked up at Quinn, who smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Perhaps with her gift of understanding animals came also the gift of understanding half-dragons.</p>
<p>"An update on our situation." Jarvan stood up in the middle of the camp. "We're still waiting for the festival to end. It should start around today. Tomorrow we'll send scouts to find if it's anywhere near finished. We'll be out of here by the end of the week if we're lucky."</p>
<p>The three captains shared a look between them, knowing full well that Jarvan's hopes will disappoint him.</p>
<p>When they finished eating, the soldiers sat around in their own groups and shared a few foraged berries, which were edible and sweet. Fiora and Quinn had invited Shyvana to play Silverwings, an old fashioned Demacian board game that they'd crafted out of a few pieces of bark and rolled up clay as pieces, so they sat and played for a few hours. Eventually, Quinn had to go and take up her shift as lookout, so Fiora and Shyvana switched to playing naughts and crosses by drawing in the soil.</p>
<hr/>
<p>As twilight began to fall, Shyvana slipped away from the chatter around the campfire, ready to say that she was going to forage for more berries if anyone were to ask. It was far too early to head into Noxus, but she had something she needed to do beforehand. As she stepped out, she saw Fiora glaring at her, dragging her thumb across her throat in one last attempt to warn her. The dragon pretended not to notice, but it did fuel more doubts in her mind.</p>
<p>She headed south where the woods were denser. Here, the forest floor was richer and she started scouring the greenery at her feet. Every so often, when she came across a brightly colored flower she would pick it until she formed a small bouquet. There weren't many flowers to be found in the area, so her selection was limited. She figured it would also be best to also look for some berries, in case anyone questioned her, so she stopped by a gooseberry bush and started picking a few.</p>
<p>The sun was setting and the sky was a marvel of warm colors. She stopped her scavenging for a moment and looked out at the horizon. Noxus and Demacia were like night and day, but the one thing they had in common was beautiful sunsets.</p>
<p>"Lovely, isn't it?"</p>
<p>Shyvana gasped and spun round, dropping the berries and the flowers.</p>
<p>Elise chuckled. "Am I that scary?"</p>
<p>The dragon took a deep breath and composed herself. "Where did you come from?"</p>
<p>The spider woman nodded to the tree branches above her. "The thing about people is that they never look up." Her gaze dropped down to the flowers on the floor. "And what's a dragon doing looking for flowers?"</p>
<p>Shyvana picked up the few poppies and thistles she had managed to find. Looking at them now, she realized she may have been foolish but held them out to Elise anyway. "They were... err... gonna be for you."</p>
<p>Elise couldn't hold back her smile and gently took the flowers. "Thank you! How thoughtful." She shifted the thistle in her hand so it wouldn't poke her, realizing that the dragon's tough skin hadn't noticed there were spikes on the stems. She most probably thought they were soft leaves.</p>
<p>Shyvana smiled back. She hadn't expected Elise to like it much and seeing her happy gave her a warm feeling.</p>
<p>"The poppies kind of match your hair," the dragon said, "which is why I thought they were nice." She rubbed the back of her neck. She was terrible at compliments but the least she could do was be honest.</p>
<p>Elise blushed slightly. She was used to receiving plenty of comments on her appearance, but Shyvana's seemed special. "And the thistle matches your skin, though it's much less fun to hold."</p>
<p>The spider woman hooked her arm around Shyvana's as she came up to her side so they may watch the sunset together. The dragon's body was radiating a fiery warmth so Elise felt comfortable in the chilly twilight. There were only the sounds of crickets and rustling branches around them. The air was still for now as the gusts had died down. A thick serenity enveloped the woods, and they quietly enjoyed each other's company and the display of dusk.</p>
<p>Shyvana cast her glance at Elise, who was still enthralled by the sky. The warm colors radiated off of her pale skin and delicate features as though she was a beautiful painting. Her eyes gleamed in the low light and the dragon wanted to pull her closer. She slowly freed her arm from Elise's grasp, causing her to look over, as she tentatively placed her hand on her waist and scooted closer. They were left gazing at each other, Shyvana blushing, wondering if she wasn't being too bold, but relaxing as Elise grinned at her.</p>
<p>"Finally making a move?"</p>
<p>The dragon gulped at her seductive tone, looking down at her lips. A memory of the cheek kiss back at the mansion flooder her mind, and she longed to feel that again. She felt herself leaning closer, unable to look away.</p>
<p>Slowly, Elise closed the gap between them, kissing Shyvana softly and placing her hand on the back of her neck, her thumb caressing the edge of her jaw. The dragon's skin was rough and she liked the feel of it.</p>
<p>Shyvana leaned into her hand, not wanting the moment to end. The soft caresses sent tingles through her neck. She hadn't kissed anyone before, but Elise was patient with her and kept things gentle.</p>
<p>A light breeze blew over them, but they were too preoccupied to feel it.</p>
<p>Soon, the spider woman slowly pulled away, biting her lip and glancing from the dragon's eyes to her lips.</p>
<p>The hoot of an owl made Shyvana jump, suddenly aware of how close to the camp they were and how likely it could be for someone to be out foraging just like her. She looked around quickly, making sure they were alone.</p>
<p>Elise chuckled. "Would you prefer we go somewhere more..." she let her voice trail to a whisper, "...private?"</p>
<p>The dragon's attention was brought back to her and she hesitated. Looking at her hypnotizing eyes and hearing her seductive voice made her weak, and she struggled to form coherent thoughts. All she wanted to do was say yes.</p>
<p>But suddenly, she remembered.</p>
<p>
  <em>"The Elise that murders all who she kisses."</em>
</p>
<p>Fiora's voice resonated in her mind. She had walked right into her trap for a second time.</p>
<p>Had she really been so foolish as to fall for Elise? Had this been the spider's plan all along? Just so she could lure the Demacian soldier away and kill her for her spiderlings? It suddenly seemed like she had talked to her, drank with her, and picked flowers for her while totally ignoring her true nature.</p>
<p>Shyvana stuttered and started shaking her head, letting go of Elise's waist and taking a small step back. She realized she had let her guard down, exactly as Fiora warned. She had lost control of the situation.</p>
<p>The spider woman's expression dropped. Now confusion was plastered all over her face. "What's wrong?" She tried to reach out for the dragon's hand, but she only backed away more.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, I-" Shyvana started, but never got to finish as she hurried off back to camp, disappearing through the trees.</p>
<p>The woods were quiet once more, but this time, the occasional breeze was as cold as ice.</p>
<p>Elise felt a sharp pang in her chest, trying to think of what had gone so wrong.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the dragon made it back to camp, the soldiers were packing up their things, ready to head into their tents for the night.</p>
<p>Shyvana's head was spinning, but she tried to appear calm. The last thing she wanted was for someone to question her. She caught sight of Fiora and Quinn packing up their makeshift board games so she headed over to them.</p>
<p>"Too bad you didn't stay," Fiora said. "I beat Quinn so many times it was getting boring. She kept letting the badger move her pieces."</p>
<p>"He's still getting the hang of the rules, don't be rude." She looked at Shyvana, realizing how distraught she seemed. "Hey, are you ok?"</p>
<p>The dragon nodded, trying to smile, but she felt a wave of emotions come over her. She wasn't used to being emotional, so she felt panicked more than anything. Things still had to sink in.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Everything's fine. Just really tired."</p>
<p>She watched them put the boardgames away in Quinn's tent before saying goodnight and heading off to bed. Unlike last time, Shyvana wasn't planning on sneaking out anymore, so she lay in her sleeping bag trying to relax.</p>
<p>Despite her overwhelming fatigue, she could barely even close her eyes that night.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Back home, Elise wandered upstairs. Her spiderlings flocked around her, curious as to what had happened but she shooed them away half-heartedly. She headed into her study and pulled a heavy book from the shelves lining the walls. She opened it up on her desk and placed the flowers from Shyvana between the pages. As she lay them down on the paper, she lingered on their petals for a few moments while she contemplated what had happened. She realized the dragon must have caught on to what she really did, or used to do, and there was no way of proving that she wasn't going to do that to her.</p>
<p>She closed the book and set it aside on the edge of her desk, placing a few paperweights on top to help press the flowers.</p>
<p>A small spiderling had crawled under the closed door. It eyed Elise worryingly before coming closer and tugging at the heel of her boot. The woman had barely felt it, but she sensed the spiderling's presence and bent down to scoop it up. It was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, and it nibbled playfully at the tip of her fingernail.</p>
<p>She let out a smile. The spiders had kept her company for so long that they were the only family she knew.</p>
<p>She remembered the small bundle she had brought back with her from the forest. There was one last thing she could try. Putting the spider down on the desk, she looked around for a piece of paper that she could use. Though she often liked to read to pass the time, she rarely wrote, so she had trouble finding any clear paper. Finally, she found a festival flyer she had gotten a few weeks ago that she never looked at and ripped up a piece to write on the back.</p>
<p>Folding the paper up, she placed it in the small bundle of web.</p>
<p>"Would you like to head for a walk?" she said to the spider, raising her voice like she was talking to a puppy. "How about you go deliver this?" She handed the tied up web to the spiderling, who grabbed it in its small jaws and carried it out.</p>
<p>Elise watched it like a proud mother before choosing a book and sitting down. Try as she might though, she couldn't get through it. Her thoughts couldn't focus on any of the words. She looked out through the web covered window. There was a full moon that night.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Shyvana's restlessness only grew, and the skies were clear enough that the moonlight shone through her tent. She let out a frustrated sigh and got up, coming out of her tent and stretching. The night was chilly and she should have felt cold in just her linen shirt and briefs, but her dragon blood felt like fire inside her.</p>
<p>She wanted to go for a walk around the camp to clear her head, but as she took a step she felt a presence in the shadows. She froze, not trying to attract any more attention as her eyes scanned the surroundings. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the beast that circled the camp, its yellow eyes now staring at Shyvana. With her night vision, she made out its snarling snout, and fangs dripping with drool. It was too huge to be a wolf.</p>
<p>With the daunting realization that the moon was full tonight, the dragon resisted the urge to wake the others before she knew how many werewolves there really were. Any noise or movement from her would send them all hurling into the camp.</p>
<p>Her eyes darted across her field of view, and she counted two more of the beasts a little further out. She took a deep breath and tried to formulate a plan.</p>
<p>Shyvana wasn't a strategist. She felt a seething rage build up inside her. All of her emotions from that evening came crashing down onto her.</p>
<p>Her nostrils flared and her eyes darkened. The closer werewolf noticed the change in her demeanor and stood still, studying her, but it was too late.</p>
<p>The dragon turned towards it and charged, letting out a fury of flames onto the unexpecting beast. It had no time to turn and run and was immediately engulfed by the fire, howling in pain as it burnt.</p>
<p>The sound of her outburst and the dying werewolf were enough to wake the camp, and troops came scrambling out of their tents as the remaining two werewolves charged. Shyvana threw herself into the path of one, stopping it from descending onto some half-awake soldier. As she pinned the beast to the ground, it swiped at her with its claws, striking her across the face and leaving a deep gash in her cheek, before succumbing to the dragon's fire. It let out a final, mocking snarl, as though it still believed to have won.</p>
<p>She turned to face the other, but saw Fiora calmly pulling her blade out of its mouth as the beast rolled dead at her feet. The duelist always seemed one step ahead than whatever pounced on her.</p>
<p>An eery silence fell onto the camp, as they all watched the shadows, waiting for something else to strike.</p>
<p>"What on earth..." Jarvan exclaimed, looking at the dead beasts. He caught sight of Shyvana and the flames around the two corpses that were starting to die down. "Captain! What was that? You could have given us away with that fire!"</p>
<p>Shyvana didn't answer him. She stared at the ground, taking deep breaths to calm down.</p>
<p>"Captain Quinn," Jarvan continued. "Send a scout out to make sure there are no Noxus troops nearby. And send someone up on the rocks to keep watch over the camp for the rest of the night." He gulped, clearly shaken by what had happened despite not having done anything.</p>
<p>Quinn nodded, talking to one of the scouts. The hawk listened intently before taking flight. She then took Valor with her and headed off to the vantage point further up, taking it upon herself to watch the camp.</p>
<p>Everyone else headed back into their tents. They wouldn't rest easy that night.</p>
<p>Shyvana followed Quinn and made her way up the boulders behind her. When they came to the top they sat down on the edge of the rocks, overlooking the camp below. Jarvan had sent some soldiers to get rid of the bodies, worried that their foul smell would attract more of the beasts.</p>
<p>"You saved our asses down there," Quinn said. "Don't listen to Jarvan's crap."</p>
<p>Shyvana still didn't say anything. She touched the gash on her face, which had already stopped bleeding. Her dragon skin healed quickly and she was already expecting a scab to form. The wound still lay open, but she figured it must be because it was deeper than she thought.</p>
<p>"Are you sure you're alright? That outburst was impressive. Even for you."</p>
<p>The dragon sighed. "We kissed." She hated talking about her feelings, but Quinn was no stranger to making her open up.</p>
<p>"The werewolf?"</p>
<p>Shyvana rolled her eyes, making Quinn chuckle.</p>
<p>"You met Elise?"</p>
<p>She nodded. "I went down into the woods. Bumped into her."</p>
<p>"And you kissed? Like for real?" Quinn was smiling. Shyvana had her first kiss. "That's great!"</p>
<p>"No, it isn't. All I could think about was what Fiora said. It felt like I walked into a trap again." She looked away, too embarrassed to face the scout. "I don't think I'm going to get her to help us either."</p>
<p>"Oh, Shyv, don't worry about the plan. We'll get those prisoners out one way or another, it's no biggie." She paused, planning what she was about to say. "Look, I've never met her and I also don't know anything about her, unlike Fiora. But I do know two things. The first thing is what Mr. Stripes told me."</p>
<p>Shyvana smiled at the mention of the badger. Mr. Stripes still sounded funny to her.</p>
<p>"Do you know that when he came back he called her `spider friend`?" She chuckled. "I was shocked. Mr. Stripes is scared of anything and anyone."</p>
<p>They cast a glance over the camp, but everything seemed to be in order.</p>
<p>"Second thing," she continued, "is if I were a murderous spider, I'd have killed you that first night you walked into the web. Playing with your food is for cats, not spiders. Surely she would take the kill."</p>
<p>They listened out for anything unusual, but couldn't hear any more beasts in the night.</p>
<p>"What did you talk about?" Quinn asked. "When you were there?"</p>
<p>"She just asked about me. About what I do back in Demacia. And I asked about her. That sort of stuff."</p>
<p>"Did she pry into our plan? Into what we're trying to do?"</p>
<p>Shyvana shook her head.</p>
<p>"Then she's probably not a spy either." Quinn stroked Valor's feathers, who looked absolutely disgusted to be woken up at this time.</p>
<p>"So you think I messed up? That I ran away for nothing?"</p>
<p>"Wait, you ran away?"</p>
<p>The dragon buried her face in her hands. "I panicked! Fiora said she was going to kill me!"</p>
<p>Quinn stroked her shoulder, gently rocking her from side to side. "Hey, it's ok. Fiora was just scared for you, but she doesn't know the whole story. She told me herself - all she knows are rumors going around house Laurent." She put her arm around Shyvana's shoulders and pulled her closer. "Don't worry. I'm sure Elise will still like you when you meet her again."</p>
<p>The dragon sighed and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Quinn."</p>
<p>"It's alright. Plus, we're quite lucky you didn't go anywhere tonight. We'd have been fucked without you."</p>
<p>"Aren't you always?" She joked.</p>
<p>Quinn chuckled. "Yes. Yes, we are."</p>
<p>As they sat in silence watching the camp, Shyvana felt something tugging at her side. Thinking it was Mr. Stripes again, she smiled and absentmindedly went to pet him, only to find a bundle of wiry black legs. She flinched and let out a gasp, realizing there was a tarantula sized spider trying to get her attention. It looked up at her with its beady eyes, nudging her with the bundle of web it was holding.</p>
<p>"What's up-AH!" Quinn scooted away, seeing the arachnid.</p>
<p>Shyvana took the web sack from it. It looked up at her for a moment longer like a goodbye before scurrying off into the darkness.</p>
<p>"Not gonna lie, it was kind of cute," the scout said, moving back next to Shyvana. "After I got over the jumpscare side of it. What's in the bag?"</p>
<p>The dragon frowned and carefully opened up the bundle of web. She smiled as she saw the gooseberries she had dropped packed snuggly in the little bag. She also noticed a piece of paper sticking out from in between them, so she picked it up and unfolded it.</p>
<p>
  <em>For the handsome dragon,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Walk North, to the mountain's edge</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Be there at dawn</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>- Lady Elise</em>
</p>
<p>"Awww!"</p>
<p>Shyvana nudged Quinn away with her shoulder. "Don't read my notes!" A smile was creeping on her face. "Does this mean she's not mad?"</p>
<p>"That most probably means she's not mad." She smiled back. "And that you should get some rest before you go." She took another look at the paper. "What's that on the back?"</p>
<p>The dragon turned the paper over. "Looks like a flyer for the festival."</p>
<p>Quinn squinted. "Let me see." She snatched the paper away, earning a disgruntled look. The paper had been ripped but she tried to make out what it used to say. "Look at this."</p>
<p>The flyer seemed to have had an itinerary of the events held in the coming two weeks. Whatever they were they sounded bloody and violent. She pointed down to the bottom of the tear. The sentence had been cut off, but on the last day it clearly mentioned Demacia. "What's this about `a spectacle of Demacia`?"</p>
<p>Shyvana also studied the flyer now. The events had a gladiator-style feel to them. "They're making the prisoners fight. They're going to kill them for entertainment."</p>
<p>The realization dawned on them.</p>
<p>"Jarvan needs to know."</p>
<p>"Quinn, you can't show him this!"</p>
<p>"I won't!" She thought for a moment. "He was going to have my scouts look into the city anyway. We'll find and steal one of these flyers and show him ourselves, you don't need to worry."</p>
<p>Shyvana took a deep breath. "Ok." She took the note back from Quinn and they sat watching the camp again, hearts full of worry. After a few more minutes, the dragon took off to try and get a couple of hours of sleep before dawn.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shyvana felt the gash across her cheek again. It hadn't gotten any smaller than last night and she wasn't sure how it was healing as she couldn't see it. There was something strange about it though. It stung her a little, and most of her wounds would have closed up by now.</p>
<p>She had never been this far north of Noxus before. She came closer to the mountains' edge, beyond which was Freljord. She wasn't sure where she was supposed to meet Elise, but she spotted the narrow opening of a cave in the rock. Despite knowing that last time she went exploring she ended up trapped, she walked up to see if there was anything interesting about it. The sun was just barely coming up.</p>
<p>The opening looked small from the outside, but as she looked deeper she realized the cave opened up into the side of the mountain and was more spacious than she would have thought. The dark wasn't an issue to her as she peered round, spotting the webbing around the cavity. She smiled as she saw Elise lurking in the shadows.</p>
<p>"I was hoping to scare you again," Elise said. "It seemed like I was good at that."</p>
<p>"It doesn't work if I can see in the dark."</p>
<p>The spider woman rolled her eyes. "Of course you can see in the dark." She walked closer. "I'm glad you came, though. I didn't think you would."</p>
<p>There was a slight hint of shyness in Elise's voice that Shyvana was surprised to hear.</p>
<p>"I'm really sorry," the dragon started, "about yesterday." She didn't know how to explain without offending her. "I just..." She trailed off.</p>
<p>"It's fine, I understand." A sad smile spread on Elise's lips. "It would have usually been very smart not to trust me."</p>
<p>"Usually. But not always?"</p>
<p>"Not always." She reached out and took Shyvana's hand, squinting as she looked at her closer. "What happened?" She gently touched her cheek.</p>
<p>"It's nothing. A pack of werewolves was prowling around the camp last night. I took care of them."</p>
<p>Elise would have loved to hear more about the dragon's show of strength, but she was more concerned with the way the gash looked. The edges of Shyvana's skin around the cut had gone an odd, yellowish color.</p>
<p>"It will heal soon. I'm a dragon - all my wounds heal fast." She tried to reassure the spider woman, whose expression was growing increasingly more worried.</p>
<p>"Did you say werewolves?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Why?"</p>
<p>Elise thought back to the countless books she'd gone through over the years, trying to remember what she could about the beasts. She had read a few bestiaries, and one mentioned lycanthropy in enough detail for her to understand what must be happening.</p>
<p>"You need something for that," she said.</p>
<p>"It'll be fine, it's just-"</p>
<p>"It's not a regular wound."</p>
<p>Elise looked up at her, eyes full of worry. If her suspicions were correct, Shyvana needed treatment soon, before the necrosis spread further. She had only ever read about lycanthropy in humans, but often wondered how it would play out in hybrid creatures resistant to the disease. Shyvana couldn't become a human/dragon/wolf mix, surely, but something sinister must have still been happening with the infection.</p>
<p>"It's really not a big deal," the dragon insisted. "We can stay and watch the sunrise and then I'll find something for it."</p>
<p>"There'll be plenty more sunrises to see some other time, my sweet." She stood on her tiptoes to inspect the wound closer. "You've caught their disease. It would usually be uncurable but it seems like your dragon blood is fighting it. If we don't try something, the inflammation will spread through your whole body. Think of it as sepsis, if you'd like."</p>
<p>Shyvana didn't know what sepsis was, but she was enthralled by how knowledgeable Elise was.</p>
<p>"What do I need to do?"</p>
<p>The spider woman wracked her brain. She had brewed many potions in her life, though almost all had been poisons and nasty concoctions for her victims. She had turned people into spiders before with them too, erasing their whole past lives, so she knew the process of the vile changes in the body. All she had to do was reverse it.</p>
<p>"I can make something for it if you'd come home with me." She realized how the request sounded and she held her breath. If Shyvana hadn't trusted her yesterday then her chances were even slimmer. "I used to make potions of all sorts. Back when I needed them for..." She trailed off, but she hoped the honesty would help her case.</p>
<p>Shyvana struggled with reading human emotions a lot of the time, but what she saw in Elise's eyes was definitely worry. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. "Ok," she said.</p>
<p>Elise smiled, taking her hand and leading her back into the woods, her mind racing, thinking of what she could do.</p>
<p>"How are we going to get there? It'll be hard to sneak past the guards at this time." Shyvana said as they headed back south.</p>
<p>"I'll show you a way."</p>
<p>They headed west of the camp. The morning sun was coming up, and they still caught sight of the sunrise as they walked. There was no time stand and admire it, as Elise insisted they hurry back. Eventually, they came to a boulder and a dry pile of leaves.</p>
<p>"There's an escape tunnel out of the mansion. Back from when Noxus was at war."</p>
<p>Elise scattered some of the leaves to reveal a trap door.</p>
<p>Shyvana frowned. "Really?" That did explain why it was so easy for Elise to come hunting in the woods with her spiders.</p>
<p>"It leads out here so I use it when I head out. It helps me keep a low profile." She opened up the trap door to reveal a ladder leading down into the tunnel. She looked back up at Shyvana, who was eyeing the dark passageway. "I know it's textbook creepy, but please. Trust me."</p>
<p>The dragon had already made her decision back at the cave, and she wasn't backing away now.</p>
<p>"Lead the way," she said, and climbed down after her.</p>
<p>The passageway smelled heavily of soil and wet stone. The walls were plastered with webs so this was definitely the way Elise led her spiderlings out of Noxus. Shielded from the winds on the surface, the passage didn't seem as cold as it looked, but the still air was somewhat unpleasant.</p>
<p>They walked down the narrow path. Shyvana had to duck to avoid skimming the ceiling.</p>
<p>"How safe is this?" she asked, eyeing the tight walls. She felt like they were collapsing in on her.</p>
<p>"Perfectly safe." Elise looked back at Shyvana with a smirk, thinking that the dragon was kidding, but when she saw her scared expression her smile dropped. "Are you ok?"</p>
<p>She nodded, taking deep breaths. "I don't think I like tight spaces."</p>
<p>The spider woman squeezed her hand. "It's ok. We're nearly there, my sweet."</p>
<p>At the sight of a faint trickle of light, Shyvana relaxed. As they neared the end of the tunnel, the climbed back up a ladder out a trap door into the mansion. She looked around herself. The floor was cement and the walls were stone, with their characteristic sets of webs. There were casks, drawers, and shelves full of jars and flasks that looked alien to Shyvana. She figured this must be the basement of the mansion.</p>
<p>"It's not the most welcoming," Elise said, "but don't be afraid."</p>
<p>Shyvana puffed her chest out. "I'm never afraid."</p>
<p>The spider woman chuckled, before setting Shyvana down on a stool and picking things off the shelves. She had more than enough ingredients for sleeping and paralyzing potions and she was glad that the dragon didn't recognize their uses. She rummaged through jars, looking for other things she had gathered over the years that she hoped hadn't rotten in time.</p>
<p>As Elise looked through the containers, she muttered names of roots and plants to herself as she saw them, every so often putting some down on the table beside her. She was right, the dark, eery basement wasn't the most welcoming, but watching her so absorbed in her search made Shyvana smile. She thought of how cute she looked, forgetting the very real possibility that whatever she was brewing may do her more bad than good.</p>
<p>Finally, she seemed pleased with what she gathered and grabbed her pestle and mortar to start grinding the roots into a fine powder. She worked away at the ingredients with familiar muscle memory.</p>
<p>"Anti-inflammatory," she said, finishing with the roots, before grabbing the next ingredient. It was a gooey eye that made Shyvana's stomach turn. "Analgesic." She ground it together with the root powder, its sticky contents mixing with the dry root. Finally, she picked up a vial of a clear liquid. "Antiseptic." She mixed it in.</p>
<p>Shyvana's gash was radiating an ache throughout her face. She wished that she could see herself. She wanted to know how bad the wound had gotten.</p>
<p>Elise turned towards her with the mortar in her hand. "Are you ready?" The dragon nodded. "Ok." She took a deep breath and dipped two fingers into her mixture before softly rubbing it onto the gash. Judging by how wide Elise was smearing it, Shyvana realized that the cut must have spread across her cheek from when she last remembered.</p>
<p>Initially, she felt nothing and wondered if the salve was doing anything.</p>
<p>"Are you sure that's-" Shyvana's breath hitched as a sharp pain pierced her cheek. "Holy shit," she sighed.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," Elise said, "It may be a little painful." Truth be told, she wasn't sure what the side effects of the mixture were supposed to be.</p>
<p>Shyvana gulped. "Is it working?"</p>
<p>The skin around the wound had started to regain its normal color, and while the salve remained where it was, it would continue to heal.</p>
<p>"Yes, this part worked."</p>
<p>"This part?"</p>
<p>Elise looked at her apologetically. "That was only the surface of the wound. The disease seeped through your blood." She held the mortar out, as the gooey mixture coating its sides.</p>
<p>"Do I... have to drink it?"</p>
<p>"It's the only way. The infection will get big enough that it would..." she paused, "kill you."</p>
<p>It was in times like these that her dragon nature could be a curse as well as a blessing. She looked up at Elise and without saying another word, took the mortar and downed the goo before handing it back.</p>
<p>She gagged, the mixture feeling like sticky gelatin against her palate, but she managed to swallow it. It tasted bitter and alcoholic, stinging her throat as it went down.</p>
<p>Its effects were soon becoming noticeable as the same stinging pain rushed through her whole body.</p>
<p>Her muscles were going stiff and she struggled to breathe. She heard the mortar crash onto the floor as Elise reached out and caught her as she fell off the stool. The spider woman couldn't support Shyvana's sturdy body, so she tried to break her fall as much as possible, nearly falling down next to her on the concrete.</p>
<p>"Shit." Elise panicked, unsure whether this was normal or whether she had fucked up. Her blood was racing and she could hear her own heartbeat in her ears as she watched the dragon struggle in pain.</p>
<p>It took a few seconds of thrashing before Shyvana began to regain control of herself. She took deep breaths in and tried to hold still, the pain in her veins slowly receding. Her body was covered in a thick layer of sweat as she waited for it to pass.</p>
<p>"Are-are you alright?" Elise bent down, checking her pulse. It was fast but slowing down.</p>
<p>Shyvana slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the spider woman's face. She tried to speak, but her throat was too dry to get any words out.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry." She grabbed a cloth and wiped Shyvana's forehead off the trickling beads of sweat. "I didn't know it was going to be like that." Her voice was trembling as her shaking hand gently cleaned the dragon's face.</p>
<p>Though she couldn't yet speak, she placed her hand on top of the spider woman's, squeezing it weakly. She almost had no idea what had happened, but there wasn't anything she couldn't power through. She tried to sit up, and, though her muscles were still numb, she made it as Elise helped her.</p>
<p>She tried to speak again but her throat was as coarse as sandpaper.</p>
<p>Elise noticed and rushed to fill an empty vial with water from a waterskin hanging off the shelves, before kneeling down and handing it to her. She drank it all in one gulp and sighed.</p>
<p>"Thank you." She looked back at the spider woman. "How do we know it worked?"</p>
<p>Elise studied the gash. The necrotic tissue receded and the wound was closing. Shyvana was right. Her wounds did heal fast. "We must wait, my sweet." She let out a sigh of relief that for now, she seemed fine. "But the wound looks better."</p>
<p>The dragon smiled. "I didn't know you mixed potions."</p>
<p>She didn't. She mixed poisons and horrible concoctions. It just so happened that apothecary was a vast skill, and knowing one effect meant you might also know to reverse it.</p>
<p>Elise pulled her into an embrace, beyond relieved that the mixture hadn't seriously hurt the dragon.</p>
<p>They held each other in their arms for a moment, glad that the madness was over. Despite her weak state, Shyvana finally got to fully enjoy holding Elise close, surprised that she smelled faintly of jasmines.</p>
<p>Then she remembered she was still sweaty from the ordeal.</p>
<p>"Sorry," she said, pulling away. "I'm a mess."</p>
<p>Elise smiled. "I know." She placed a kiss on her forehead. "How are you feeling?"</p>
<p>"Better." She felt her cheek where her gash was. It was nothing more than a small cut now. "Thank you, again." She only just now had noticed Elise's teary eyes. "Hey, are <em>you</em> ok?"</p>
<p>She nodded. She wasn't going to tell her how scared she had been seeing her spasm. "Shall we try and get you cleaned up then, hmm?"</p>
<p>She helped Shyvana up and guided her up into the mansion. Spiderlings watched from a distance, studying the stranger that Elise kept bringing but insisted she was not food. She looked weak and tired, but the spiders didn't think to pounce, and instead watched in curiosity and worry as she was taken away into the bathroom.</p>
<p>"Can you manage?" Elise asked, ready to leave Shyvana in peace to wash.</p>
<p>The dragon nodded, having regained enough strength to take her armor off herself.</p>
<p>"There are fresh towels there. Take your time." She closed the door behind her and took a deep breath.</p>
<p>The small messenger spiderling descended onto her shoulder from the ceiling. It looked up at Elise with wide, questioning eyes. It tapped her chin impatiently a couple of times.</p>
<p>"It's all ok now," she told it. "I think."</p>
<p>The spiderling wiggled excitedly before hopping off, crawling away to tell the others.</p>
<p>Elise heard the sound of running water, so she figured Shyvana was managing just fine. She headed away into the kitchen to make her something for when she was done. She scoured the cupboards for some teabags, brewing up a blend she had gotten from Shurima back when she used to sail the seas towards the Shadow Isles and made a stop there. It had a fragrant, calming aroma.</p>
<p>She took the brewed tea into the guest bedroom, where she set it down on the bedside table. The room was nicely arranged, though it hadn't been touched in years. It wasn't particularly large, but enough for a double bed and a coffee table with a couple of chairs. It felt weird for Elise to walk in here, not having used the room is such a long time. Having used the Spider God's powers for eternal youth should have meant she had many years of joy and exploration, but instead realized she had many of loneliness. Perhaps it was a good thing that she stopped going back to the Shadow Isles for it.</p>
<p>The spider woman headed back to the bathroom to see whether Shyvana was done, and noticed the dragon coming out, wrapped in a towel, carrying her armor with her.</p>
<p>"I can never get it back on when I'm wet," she said, nodding towards her armor. "Doesn't slide on anymore."</p>
<p>Elise smirked. "And here I was thinking you're putting on a show, just for me." She chuckled as the dragon blushed a deep purple. "I made you some tea if you'd like."</p>
<p>She led her into the guest bedroom, helping her carry her armor and setting it down beside the bed. "Make yourself comfortable while you regain your strength."</p>
<p>"And after that I shouldn't be comfortable anymore?"</p>
<p>"Well aren't you glad you've got your voice back."</p>
<p>Shyvana sat down on the bed and sipped her tea. It tasted nice, and she immediately felt warmer. "Where's this from?"</p>
<p>"Shurima."</p>
<p>"You went there?"</p>
<p>Elise sat down next to her. "Yes. Many years ago."</p>
<p>The dragon drank her tea quickly, the heat of it not bothering her, and set her cup back down.</p>
<p>"What was it like?" she crossed her legs and turned to face Elise.</p>
<p>"Very hot." Shyvana's towel had dropped slightly when she turned, so her pecs were more visible than before. "Excruciatingly hot," Elise continued, not hiding where her gaze had lingered. "But it was an enjoyable trip. It's a culture worth experiencing." She made the dragon blush with her eyes. "Have you ever been anywhere?"</p>
<p>"Not really. Mainly Freljord, on missions. Maybe one day I'll go somewhere further too."</p>
<p>"Maybe."</p>
<p>Shyvana noticed Elise's smirk and her heart sped up. There was a moment of silence, and her eyes focused on her lips.</p>
<p>"Can I kiss you?" the dragon asked.</p>
<p>Elise chuckled at her shyness and nodded, leaning in and pressing their lips together in a soft kiss that slowly turned more passionate.</p>
<p>Shyvana reached out for Elise's waist and pulled her close. She wanted to feel her against herself, so she lied down on her back so the spider woman rested on top of her. Shyvana's senses had stopped outside of the feel of Elise's weight on her, and her tender caresses.</p>
<p>Elise's kiss trailed away from her lips and across to her cheek, down to her jaw and gently on her neck. It sent tingles through the dragon's body. She ran her hand up the spider woman's back, trying to feel as much of her skin through her revealing clothes. As much as she enjoyed the moment and wanted to feel more of Elise, she felt the tiredness in her muscles get to her.</p>
<p>"You really should rest, my sweet," Elise said, lifting her head up and looking into the dragon's weary eyes. "Shall I leave you to sleep?"</p>
<p>She shook her head. "Please don't go."</p>
<p>The spider woman smiled as she rolled off Shyvana and grabbed a blanket to pull over both of them.</p>
<p>Feeling the warmth from the towel and the blanket, the dragon felt herself growing tired. She turned to face Elise lying next to her, and hesitantly draped her arm over her. The spider woman inched closer and before long, Shyvana fell asleep with her in her arms.</p>
<p>Elise sighed against the dragon. Though she wasn't tired, she felt a peaceful serenity. For once, the mansion seemed less vast and desolate.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Back at the camp, the sun had risen and the troops were making their way out of their tents. No one had slept well with the fear of the werewolves still prowling about, but they hadn't had any more surprises, especially with Quinn surveying the area. The scout had also seen Shyvana sneaking away in the early dawn, but she hadn't made it back yet. As she made her way down to the camp, she realized she needed an excuse for Jarvan as to where she was.</p>
<p>"Psst, Fiora." She got the duelist's attention. They both needed to stick to the same story. "If Jarvan asks, Shyvana is out hunting. Something about needed to calm down her dragon self from last night," she whispered.</p>
<p>Fiora frowned. "Don't tell me..."</p>
<p>Quinn nodded.</p>
<p>"She would not be dumb enough to go see her again," the duelist insisted.</p>
<p>"If you must know, I told her she should, actually."</p>
<p>"You wha-!"</p>
<p>"Shh!"</p>
<p>She brought her voice back to a whisper. "Why?"</p>
<p>"I think you had the wrong impression before. Now please, just cover for her, ok? Will you do that?"</p>
<p>She huffed indignantly. "Of course I will."</p>
<p>Quinn smiled, and headed off to brief her scouts. Their mission to infiltrate the city and find out more about the festival was today. After giving out instructions, and wishing them the best of luck, she pulled Mr. Stripes aside and showed him the note from Elise.</p>
<p>"Look for one of these flyers," she whispered to him. "Snatch one, and bring it back to me, ok?"</p>
<p>He eyed the paper carefully, memorizing the patterns, before nodding and running off after the others.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eventually, Elise had drifted off to sleep too, slipping in and out of consciousness in the comfort of Shyvana's arms. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the room began filling with sunlight, despite the thin layer of webbing over the window. The warmth and tenderness of the dragon were enticing, but she realized she may be in trouble if the Demacian soldiers notice her missing.</p>
<p>She tried to wake Shyvana gently, starting by kissing her cheek and passing a hand over her braided hair. She watched for a reaction, but the dragon seemed to be a deep sleeper.</p>
<p>"Shyvana, my sweet?" she whispered, caressing her arm.</p>
<p>The dragon mumbled and just held Elise closer.</p>
<p>The spider woman smiled. "No, no. It's time to get up." She placed a kiss on her forehead.</p>
<p>Shyvana took a deep breath as she woke up, sighing and slowly opening her eyes.</p>
<p>She was almost surprised to see Elise still there, as though she thought it had all been a dream. The spider woman's eyes were tired like she had also just woken up, and her hair was tousled by the pillow. Shyvana smiled at how cute she looked.</p>
<p>"Mornin," she said, her voice croaky.</p>
<p>"Good morning." She moved a stray strand of hair out of Shyvana's face. "How are you feeling?"</p>
<p>"It doesn't hurt anymore. Is it still there?"</p>
<p>The wound had nearly completely healed up, but it seemed like it would leave a scar. "You shouldn't worry about it anymore," Elise said.</p>
<p>Shyvana felt her cheek. There was a thin ridge of skin along where the cut had been. "Is it scarring?" she frowned. "I never get scars."</p>
<p>"Your body did fight hard against it."</p>
<p>"I didn't expect it to scar though."</p>
<p>Elise took the dragon's hand in hers so she'd stop focusing on it. "It's just a show of your strength. Not that you needed it." She smirked.</p>
<p>Shyvana relaxed as Elise rubbed her hand with her thumb. Her skin felt a little cold against her.</p>
<p>"Wouldn't the soldiers be looking for you?" she asked.</p>
<p>The dragon held her breath. She lifted her head to and looked out the window at the morning sun. She panicked for a moment before realizing Quinn must have told Jarvan something believable. It wasn't that she expected her friend to lie for her, but she just knew Quinn was good at getting away with things. Maybe she got it from Valor. Or maybe Valor got it from her. Who knows?</p>
<p>"I think I'll be alright," Shyvana answered.</p>
<p>Elise frowned. "Are you sure? How come?"</p>
<p>"I think my friends will cover for me. They do that a lot."</p>
<p>The spider woman propped herself up on her elbow. "Tell me about them. I might have seen them when I was watching the Demacians come through the woods."</p>
<p>Shyvana smiled. "Well there's Quinn, the scout with the blue eagle. She's really understanding and supportive." She chuckled. "Even when I turned into a dragon and flew off the city walls to lunge at a guard cuz he called me a freak. I got 50 hours of community service but she did it with me."</p>
<p>Elise remembered seeing Quinn. She was the first to arrive at the Demacian camp and she wouldn't have paid any attention if it wasn't for the peculiar group of troops she had with her. Some animal, some human, and some yet to be determined. It was an interesting sight.</p>
<p>"And then well... there's Fiora. She's a bit much and wants to make you think she's cold as ice but her heart is always in the right place." Shyvana thought back to the duelist trying to warn her about Elise. While she may have been wrong, she only did what she thought was right. "When I came to Demacia I didn't know how to act around humans, but she taught me all those crazy things like manners. While everyone was scared of me, she invited me to House Laurent just to teach me to hold a fork."</p>
<p>Fiora must have been the duelist she saw. She and her group of swordsmen walked proudly, but she was the only one that wasn't too full of herself to watch her surroundings. She stayed alert the whole time, and Elise kept clear of their path.</p>
<p>"They sound lovely."</p>
<p>"They are. Maybe you'll meet them someday."</p>
<p>Elise smiled sadly for a moment. Though they seemed understanding of their dragon friend, she doubted that a lady of Noxus would be just as welcomed. She dropped that thought quickly enough, not wanting to dull the moment. "Already trying to introduce me, are you?" She smirked. "Things are getting serious."</p>
<p>Shyvana blushed. "I mean, only if you want to obviously, it was just a thought."</p>
<p>"Maybe one day." She chuckled.</p>
<p>The dragon's stomach started to rumble.</p>
<p>"Let's talk more over breakfast," the spider woman said, getting up.</p>
<p>Shyvana considered whether she should leave the towel and put her armor back on, but since Elise had already grabbed her hand to lead her away she figured she'd just get dressed afterwards. She tightened the towel more securely and followed the spider woman into the kitchen.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Fiora's blade couldn't gleam brighter and she admired the steel in the sun, putting down the block of wax she had polished it with. There was only so much she could do to it, and time seemed to drag on so slowly.</p>
<p>Quinn was going to go sleep for a few hours before the scouts returned and she was going to be left alone with the other troops. She glanced over at the soldiers. She wasn't interested in whatever boastful conversations they were having. She had no way to be impressed by such trivial stories.</p>
<p>The duelist sighed and stood, putting her sword safely in its sheath. The werewolf blood had been a pain to clean for some reason, as though it liked to cling to things even long after it was cleansed.</p>
<p>"Wake me when the scouts come back," Quinn said. She looked tired from her sleepless night.</p>
<p>Fiora nodded and the scout went into her tent with Valor. She wouldn't be surprised if that bird even had his own sleeping bag, judging by how spoilt he was.</p>
<p>"Fiora," she heard Jarvan call out to her, "a moment please."</p>
<p>She headed over to the prince. As always, Garen seemed glued to his side.</p>
<p>"Have you seen Shyvana this morning?"</p>
<p>"Yes. She went hunting."</p>
<p>He nodded. "It's what Quinn told me too." He bent down and whispered, "Between you and me, I don't always trust what she says. She covered for Captain Shyvana in the past too." He stood back up. "So, are you sure she's out hunting?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Sir. She let us know before she left." Fiora's tone was unfaltering. Years of faking interest around snobby aristocrats meant she was good at lying too.</p>
<p>"She seems unfocused. If she's found something, if she's doing anything, I'd like to know. It might help us more than you think, and we'd all like to get out of here."</p>
<p>"I'll let you know if I find out, Sir."</p>
<p>The prince studied the duelist's expression for a moment, looking for a tell that she was lying but there was nothing. Fiora's expression was as ice-cold, as always.</p>
<p>"Do you happen to know anyone?" he asked.</p>
<p>Fiora let out a snigger. "And why would I know a Noxian?"</p>
<p>"House Laurent is a heavy name to bear. No doubt you have a lot of acquaintances."</p>
<p>"And Prince of Demacia may be a name just as heavy. Maybe." She was one of the only people who would dare disrespect Jarvan this way, but she didn't care. He was prodding for information that she didn't want to give. "I'd ask you the same, <em>Sir.</em>" Her overexaggerated way of addressing him now seemed more of a mockery than a sign of respect and the prince dropped the matter.</p>
<p>"See to what you were doing," he said.</p>
<p>Fiora let out a smirk. She thought so. Shyvana owed her one and she'd be sure to let her know.</p>
<p>Making sure the duelist was out of earshot, Jarvan turned to Garen. "We're pulling Shyvana for questioning when she comes back. There's something going on."</p>
<hr/>
<p>The smell of freshly brewed coffee was familiar to Shyvana, but she had never actually tried it.</p>
<p>"Never?" Elise asked.</p>
<p>"Never."</p>
<p>The spider woman smiled and poured some in a cup for her to try. The dragon took a sniff. It smelled nice, but as she tasted it she pulled a face of disgust, making Elise laugh.</p>
<p>"It's so bitter!" She said. "How do people drink this?"</p>
<p>"Give it here," Elise said, still chuckling. She took the cup from her and looked through the cupboards for some sugar. She hadn't needed to use it for anything in a long time so she was struggling to find it. Giving up, she turned to a spiderling. "Go in the pantry, see if you find some sugar."</p>
<p>Shyvana watched intrigued as the spider understood and crawled away. "If they understand you, do you understand them too?" She took another bite of her crackers off the kitchen counter. It seemed like Elise's version of breakfast was much lighter than she was used to, but she didn't say anything.</p>
<p>"I do, though they don't say much."</p>
<p>The dragon nodded, staring at her plate deep in thought. She wondered if she would also get along well with other dragons. Although she was big around humans, she was tiny to her kind and she supposed she would always fear not being good enough. Plus, she had never met a dragon anyway.</p>
<p>She looked back up to see Elise smirking at her.</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"Just enjoying the show." She took a slow sip of her own coffee.</p>
<p>Shyvana suddenly felt a little self-conscious of only flimsily being wrapped in a towel. Maybe she was supposed to have asked Elise for some clothes to change into, but come to think of it, Elise never offered either. Not that she would have had a lot of things to fit a tall, well-built dragon.</p>
<p>"You're welcome." She tried to sound smug, but she felt her heartbeat quicken as she let her own eyes wander on Elise.</p>
<p>She watched as the spider woman put her cup down on the counter, before turning back towards the dragon. Her gaze roamed her for a few moments, making her blush and gulp as she walked closer. She placed her hand on the back of Shyvana's head and beckoned her to bend down, pressing their lips together, kissing her passionately. With her other hand, she ran her nails down the dragon's exposed shoulder blade, then lingering on the edge of the towel. She tugged on it gently, smirking and breaking their kiss, judging Shyvana's expression.</p>
<p>The dragon's eyes looked at her hungrily. She already missed the feel of her lips and bent down into another kiss, placing her hands around Elise's waist to pull her closer, not minding when the spider woman undid the towel, letting it fall on the floor. She ran her hands across Shyvana's naked back, feeling the ridges of her muscles, letting out a muffled sigh into their kiss.</p>
<p>It was the dragon who broke their kiss this time, only to effortlessly pick Elise up and sit her on the countertop, just narrowly missing the cup of coffee. Their height levels now switched, the spider woman gently guided Shyvana's lips onto her neck, tilting her head back as she kissed her way down to her collarbone. She traced a trail down to her sternum, each kiss tender but more hungry than the last.</p>
<p>She looked down at Elise's cleavage and then back at her, eyes asking for permission.</p>
<p>The spider woman slid her top off for her, leaving her chest bare.</p>
<p>Shyvana paused for a moment, taking in what she was seeing. She always knew Elise was beautiful, but she stood mesmerized for a few moments, before placing her hand on her breast and slowly kissing the other. Elise let out a soft moan, caressing the back of the dragon's head, looking down at her muscular body against her.</p>
<p>With her free hand, Shyvana worked her way up the spider woman's thigh, her thumb coming to rest frustratingly close to where she wanted it, sending a shudder down Elise's spine. She slowly traced kisses down her stomach, treating her skin so gently, despite being so eager. She lingered with each kiss, enjoying the softness of the spider woman's belly.</p>
<p>As she neared the edge of her trousers she ran her fingers under the waistband, looking up once more. As Elise shifted her weight, she slid them down her long pale legs and gulped. She dropped down to her knees and kissed the inside of her thigh, hands moving to her backside on the counter, groping the sensitive skin and eliciting another sigh from Elise.</p>
<p>The spider woman bit her lip, watching the dragon make her way up her legs, eyes fixed on Shyvana's loving manner. She guided her gently, her breath hitching as the dragon started getting the hang of it.</p>
<p>Time seemed to stand still, and the rest of their breakfast lay forgotten beside them on the counter.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It took a while to find it. Lady Elise didn't often ask for sugar, but there had still been one left.</p>
<p>Silent and unnoticed, the spiderling crawled in the doorway, bag of sugar clutched in its jaw. It blinked twice. It knew it shouldn't be there. Without a sound, it dropped the bag in the door and left.</p>
<p>There was a new jingle to its crawl as it rushed to tell the others that their Lady Elise had found a lover after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You can tell I never write sexy things, but ah well :P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Quiet chatter came from the spider queen's bedroom. They weren't sure how long it had been but after her performance in the kitchen, Shyvana had carried Elise back upstairs, following her directions. After another round of lovemaking, they lay satisfied in each other's arms, teasing each other with playful flirting.</p>
<p>"Aren't you supposed to eat me after sex?" Shyvana joked, looking down at Elise, snuggled against her chest.</p>
<p>"Maybe next time." She smirked.</p>
<p>"I'm hoping you'll forget and say the same thing then too."</p>
<p>Elise ran her nail softly across Shyvana's back, stroking patterns onto her skin absentmindedly. She could feel her breathing and was close enough to hear her heartbeat. With each thump and breath, she felt like she hadn't in years. There was finally someone with her again, someone she really liked.</p>
<p>There was someone that she needed to be honest with. Despite the peaceful serenity, she felt a gnawing at the back of her mind.</p>
<p>The dragon placed a kiss on the top of her head before relaxing back down on the pillow. The bedsheets in Elise's room were much more comfortable than in the guest room. They were soft and silky, quite fitting for the woman she held in her arms. Her room also seemed carefully arranged and clean, despite the cobwebs around the edges. Without a doubt, the spider queen valued the appearance of the house, despite not having had many people over.</p>
<p>Just as she thought that, she felt her shift against her. Looking down, she met her scarlet eyes. They seemed to glow in the faint light.</p>
<p>"You ok?"</p>
<p>There was no turning back now. It was very unlike Elise to be honest with people but for once she felt like it was the best decision, despite being afraid. "Do you know who I am?"</p>
<p>Shyvana frowned. A confused smile spread across her lips. "Elise?"</p>
<p>"I mean, do you know what I did to people?"</p>
<p>The dragon started to understand where this was going. "Yes. You killed people you slept with. I've heard."</p>
<p>"Well, not quite." She paused, watching Shyvana's expression, gauging her reactions. She weighed her words carefully, but she wasn't planning on hiding anything anymore. "I took them to the Shadow Isles. I gave their souls to a spider god, in exchange for his powers. I brought him the souls, and he gave me beauty and youth." The dragon wasn't saying anything so she continued. "I stopped going a few years ago. House Zavaan is never going to be what it once was and my influence in Noxus isn't the same, so there was no point. I lived so much longer than I was supposed to and... for what? For the sake of the next soul I would hand over."</p>
<p>There were a few moments of silence as Shyvana took in what she said. She struggled to process everything, and she had so many questions. Each second that passed felt agonizingly slow to Elise.</p>
<p>"And... what happened to them? In the Shadow Isles?" she finally asked.</p>
<p>Elise's throat felt tight as her eyes teared up. "I don't know. It was always up to those wretched spirits." Memories of the place flashed back to her. She had never gotten used to the sights of the screaming ghouls and wailing wraiths that roamed the islands, or the steady clank of the Warden's chains. "But I knew it was torture. I still did it."</p>
<p>"W-Why?"</p>
<p>"I never originally planned on it but-" holding back her tears she told the story, from being poisoned by her husband to heading to the Isles in the hope to bring back her former self, only to be bitten by the spider god and become what she was now. "At the time I was vengeful. Angry at what he did to me and how it destroyed house Zavaan. So much so that I agreed to the deal and... once in it I was afraid of what would happen if I ever stopped. That I would just grow old and die." She didn't want to cry. She had no right to and she wasn't asking for sympathy or forgiveness. Either way, she couldn't control the droplets that slid down her cheeks.</p>
<p>Shyvana wiped them away with her thumb. She was still taking things in. "But you did stop."</p>
<p>"I'll always live with what I did but-" she looked up at her, "I don't want you to think that's who I still am. It's not."</p>
<p>The dragon's thoughts were racing. What she was hearing was terrifying but she didn't doubt her sincerity. "Ok," she said. "I believe you."</p>
<p>Elise finally let out a stifled sob, relieved but overcome with a dozen emotions. She buried her face in the crook of Shyvana's neck, trying to hide her crying. The dragon responded by holding her closer, slowly rubbing her back. There was a lot for her to process, but without a doubt, she wasn't going to let Elise go because of it. With every moment they spent together she felt more drawn to her, and she wondered whether these feelings were what love was.</p>
<p>"Hey, it's ok," she whispered, kissing her forehead. "It's alright now."</p>
<p>Elise wiped her tears with her hands, slightly embarrassed, but she gave her a sad smile. "Thank you." She wanted to say more, but no more words came out. Looking into Shyvana's eyes, she saw her returning the smile. Maybe she didn't need any more words after all.</p>
<p>The dragon placed a soft kiss on her forehead, lingering for a few moments. The spider woman's past was dark, but the Elise she held in her arms now was the Elise that helped her and cured her and gave her the first taste of love. There was no doubt in her mind that she had nothing to fear.</p>
<p>"I sure am glad I didn't meet you earlier then," Shyvana tried to lighten the mood, and Elise did smile a bit more.</p>
<p>"And I do suppose I'd have been an old woman now, had the spider god not given me those extra years."</p>
<p>Shyvana moved a strand of hair out of Elise's face. "I'd have liked you anyway, no matter what you looked like."</p>
<p>Elise blushed slightly. After years of relying on her beauty, it was nice to hear that.</p>
<p>"You never did tell me why you wandered into my garden that first day," she said.</p>
<p>The dragon thought back to her poorly thought out plan of scouting the area. She almost laughed at the idea. "Our prince brought us here to rescue some people and I thought his plan was stupid so I went looking, trying to come up with something myself. I didn't think anything would be a match for a dragon until your web trapped me."</p>
<p>"It was silly of you to jump straight in, my sweet." Elise chuckled.</p>
<p>"Yeah, probably why I'm not in charge of any of the plans in Demacia." Shyvana noticed their conversation put Elise back at ease as she carried on drawing on her back. It tickled her slightly, but she liked it.</p>
<p>"What's his plan anyway?" A dawning realization that the dragon won't stay forever was creeping in for the spider woman, and perhaps soon her troops would be readying to leave.</p>
<p>"Well Quinn scouted out where the prisoners were being kept, then the plan was for the duelist to infiltrate with them and bust them out, and if anything were to go wrong my soldiers would charge in and help them. We're the heavy artillery basically."</p>
<p>"You're right. That is a terrible plan," Elise said. "There's nothing more foolish than assuming Noxus doesn't have a whole army at the ready and would outnumber all of you ten to one."</p>
<p>Shyvana sighed. She wasn't going to mention that she would have considered storming the place herself. "Yeah. But anyway now with the festival we've had to wait. And it turns out they're making the prisoners fight on the last day. Like a gladiator match."</p>
<p>Elise hadn't followed the events of the festival so this was news to her. "And does he have a new plan?"</p>
<p>"Not at the moment, no."</p>
<p>The spider woman thought for a moment. She had seen the amount of troops Demacia had sent and was sure that a skirmish with the Noxian soldiers at the ready would mean certain death for all of them. And that included Shyvana, who didn't seem to realize that their mission was more dangerous than they were led to believe.</p>
<p>"I think I might be able to think of something," she said finally. "That's only if you'd let a lady of Noxus help you." She smirked.</p>
<p>"You'd help Demacia? Why?"</p>
<p>"Now don't make me out to be a hero. I'd help you, not Demacia."</p>
<p>The dragon should have been happy that Elise offered, especially since that's what she had hoped for from the beginning, but now that she was closer to her she was afraid of putting her in danger. Still, she didn't want to underestimate her. She did after all catch a half-dragon in her trap. Who knows what else she was capable of?</p>
<p>"Ok. If you're sure about it."</p>
<p>"I am. I need some time to think, but we should act fast. Come back tonight and we'll speak." She pried herself from Shyvana's arms as she sat up, the blanket draping off her and exposing her naked chest. The dragon didn't particularly feel like leaving, even as Elise stood up and began getting dressed. She might have noticed her hesitation as she turned back to her. "We'll do this again sometime. Now go before your soldiers miss you." She grinned and leaned across the bed to kiss Shyvana's cheek. "Will you be alright using the escape tunnel again?"</p>
<p>The dragon gulped, thinking about the tight narrow space.</p>
<p>Elise chuckled. "I thought so. I'll escort you through."</p>
<p>She let out a sigh of relief and started getting dressed.</p>
<p>With Shyvana gone, Elise would have a lot of preparations to make.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Where in the hell is Shyvana?" Jarvan voice was rising, and the soldiers witnessed the prince lose his temper after the news from the scouts. He stood in the middle of the camp, clutching the flyer that the badger had brought to him. "Did anyone see her?" Silence. "Did anyone fucking see her?"</p>
<p>There was a muttering of no's, which only made the prince's blood boil more. The stress of the situation was getting the best of him, which was unusual to see.</p>
<p>"Sir, should we proceed with the announcement?" Garen asked. He never understood why Shyvana was even a captain to begin with, after all the trouble she had caused throughout her time in Demacia.</p>
<p>Just as he said that the dragon made her way into the clearing and joined the troops. She was nonchalant about it. The morning she spent with Elise had put her in a good and confident mood for whatever was going on.</p>
<p>"Wonderful." Jarvan's tone calmed, but his eyes were still full of fury. "I would like a word with you, Captain, after I'm done." He stared at Shyvana, before proceeding to inform everyone about the unfortunate news. "We'll have to rescue the prisoners as soon as we can, during the festival. There's too many guards around each post and there's very little chance of us sneaking them out but we have to try. We'll charge in there if need be, but we can't fail."</p>
<p>It was ironic how when Jarvan's plan was to charge in, Shyvana disagreed. Elise had been right after all. They would all die.</p>
<p>There was chatter around the camp as everyone took in the news. Shyvana's soldiers seemed pleased with sieging the forts, and the duelists were happy about finally discussing some bloodshed.</p>
<p>"We'll organize and put together our efforts tomorrow. There's no use delaying," he said.</p>
<p>Whatever Elise was planning, they had to hurry. They couldn't let Jarvan go ahead with this.</p>
<p>"Shyvana," he said as he finished, "a word."</p>
<p>The troops went back to their business as the dragon followed Jarvan to his tent.</p>
<p>"I want to know where you were."</p>
<p>Shyvana realized the predicament she was in. She wasn't sure what Quinn had told him. "I had gone in the woods, Sir. To clear my head."</p>
<p>"To do what?"</p>
<p>"Went down to the river, Sir." Fiora had mentioned a river a while ago. She was sure there must have been one nearby.</p>
<p>The prince's face darkened. "Lying to your superior officer is a punishable crime, and undermining our efforts would be treason." He waited as Shyvana took in what he was implying. "I ask again, Captain Shyvana. What were you doing?"</p>
<p>"You would be a fool to charge me when you need me. Tell me who else would lead those soldiers into Noxian walls."</p>
<p>Jarvan was taken aback by Shyvana's response. It was stupid of him to think the dragon would buckle in the first place. "Very well. When we get back to Demacia I hope you'll expect the consequences for your actions."</p>
<p>He didn't intimidate her. Treason was punishable by death and no Demacian prince would be foolish enough to sentence a dragon to execution without risking burning down the whole of Demacia. He was bluffing, but she wasn't going to tell him anything. Not yet anyway. Not until she and Elise had a plan.</p>
<p>"I'll expect whatever," she answered.</p>
<p>"Very well. I take our position here very seriously and thus," he motioned towards Garen, "General Crownguard will see to it that you don't leave the camp again. The same goes for your two accomplices."</p>
<p>"Two?"</p>
<p>"Quinn and Fiora. You had them both lie for you."</p>
<p>They had both coordinated to save Shyvana's ass. And now she'd gone and blown it. She looked at Garen standing head to head with her. She always thought he had a punchable face but this wasn't the time to try it out.</p>
<p>"Try and scare me all you want," she said to the two of them, "it never works."</p>
<p>Realizing that she now had a monitor, she felt a rage build up in her veins. This time, however, it felt different. Like her blood boiled and stung. Her muscles tightened, and she felt stronger, a new raw power that she never had before. It took her by surprise and she panicked, eyes darting around the trees looking for something else to focus on. With each deep breath she took, she felt the rage diminish, and with it, the fire she felt died down.</p>
<p>That was strange.</p>
<p>She excused herself and found Quinn and Fiora sitting down by the fire, roasting a few edible roots. Every so often, the duelist handed some to Mr. Stripes. She seemed to have taken a liking to him after all.</p>
<p>"How was the hunt?" Quinn asked.</p>
<p>"So that's what you told him." Shyvana sat down next to them.</p>
<p>"Shit, did you get in trouble?"</p>
<p>"Sort of. I have Garen stopping me from leaving again. He's also keeping an eye on you two apparently. Sorry."</p>
<p>Fiora scoffed. "I'm surprised walnut brain can focus on something other than shouting Demacia." She checked the roasted root wasn't too hot before feeding it to the badger. He gnawed on it, holding it in its front paws.</p>
<p>Shyvana lowered her voice. "I need to find a way out tonight. She's agreed to help us."</p>
<p>"I see you've decided to trust her."</p>
<p>"And I'm not wrong to, Fiora."</p>
<p>The duelist didn't actually want to argue for once, so she dropped the matter.</p>
<p>"How do we get rid of Garen?" Quinn asked.</p>
<p>"The thing about walnut brains," Fiora said, "is they fill up very quickly." She motioned towards the duelists' side of the camp. As always, they had another bottle of wine to share among them. "We just need someone to sneak it in his drink."</p>
<p>All three of them looked down at Mr. Stripes. He was preoccupied with his root, but seeing the attention drawn to him he stopped dead in his tracks. It seemed he was the backbone of the operation yet again.</p>
<hr/>
<p>As dusk began to fall and the soldiers finished their meals, Garen was looking drunker as his eyes no longer seemed to focus on anything. Luckily, as the troops packed away their things and headed into their tents no one seemed to notice the General's manner, and he himself didn't seem any wiser.</p>
<p>Shyvana threw Fiora a concerned look, afraid that the duelist would give him too much but she motioned towards the nearly full bottle. He only had one glass. Walnut brain sure was a lightweight.</p>
<p>They had given Mr. Stripes a few gooseberries as a prize for his well-executed mission and let him go free for the night.</p>
<p>Garen took his spot by the campfire, ready to watch out for anyone leaving the camp, but the alcohol was making him doze off every so often. In his drunken state, Shyvana was sure he would fall asleep soon and she would be able to make it out. She went into her tent and waited for just under an hour, watching to see the progress the drink had made.</p>
<p>As an owl hooted, the general's head slumped forward. He finally looked to be asleep.</p>
<p>As quietly as she could in her clunky armor, she snuck out of her tent, watching him for a reaction. The grass rustled under her feet, but he didn't move, so she carried on. Fiora and Quinn had also stayed awake and they watched silently from their tents.</p>
<p>Shyvana had nearly escaped out into the forest when the owl hooted again, louder. She looked up and saw its glowing eyes in the branches above and turned just in time to see Garen shake his head awake.</p>
<p>The general blinked a few times, looking around the camp. He could barely see in the dark, but he squinted, seeing Shyvana's figure in the shadows.</p>
<p>"Anyone there?" he asked. He stood to take a closer look.</p>
<p>"Quinn, I know you'll never let me hear the end of this," Fiora whispered, just enough for the scout to hear from her tent next to her. "But I'm doing this for Shyvana."</p>
<p>Quinn glanced towards her, eyes wide, with Valor watching too.</p>
<p>The duelist took a deep breath. "Eeek!" she squealed. She jumped out of her tent, doing her best to pretend to be frightened, holding herself in her arms and pushing her knees together.</p>
<p>Garen turned towards her. "What is it, Laurent?"</p>
<p>"A spider!" She said, raising her voice. "There's a spider! Ah, please help me!"</p>
<p>Quinn barely couldn't hold in her giggles seeing Fiora play the role of the damsel in distress, but it sure worked as Garen headed over, ready to play the prince and save the day.</p>
<p>"I'll get it for you. Where is it?"</p>
<p>"There!" Fiora pointed a shaking finger at the floor, but Garen couldn't see anything.</p>
<p>"Where?"</p>
<p>The duelist peeked towards the trees. Shyvana had vanished. "Nevermind." She dropped her tone and stance. "Must have been a pebble."</p>
<hr/>
<p>The walk to Elise's house wasn't as long now that she knew to use the tunnel, though tight spaces still scared the dragon.</p>
<p>She climbed up into the basement and headed up the stairs into the mansion. She had even picked up another poppy from the woods on her way, hoping it would be a nice, though small, surprise for the spider woman.</p>
<p>The house seemed oddly quiet, and she realized she hadn't seen a single spiderling as she came into the great hall. Maybe they went to sleep at this time?</p>
<p>"Elise?" she called out.</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>She took a few steps forward. The air was still.</p>
<p>It occurred to her that spiders were nocturnal.</p>
<p>"Where ar-" Something had dropped down, crashing down onto her shoulders. She rocked but despite the weight she managed to keep her balance, dropping the flower somewhere on the floor. The spider clung onto her. Its jaws dripping with poison were mere inches from her face.</p>
<p>They weren't asleep. They were staking their prey.</p>
<p>Instinctively she moved to throw it off her, but she felt another weight tugging her down by her hips, and another on her knees, and another had grabbed her arms. She was surrounded, and immediately she found herself spun into another cocoon. The spiderlings lowered her down on the floor and she panted against the bindings.</p>
<p>"Elise!" She yelled out, her voice cracking. "ELISE!"</p>
<p>She heard footsteps come into the room.</p>
<p>A man had come to stand over her, looking down at the dragon. "Are you sure this one is a Demacian?" He bent down to examine her. "It looks freakish."</p>
<p>From the shadows, she saw Elise emerge to join him. "Of course, Darius. I wouldn't lie to you, would I?" she smirked at him and he seemed convinced.</p>
<p>"Very well. Have them take her to her cell. We'll break her by morning."</p>
<p>"Of course."</p>
<p>Shyvana felt panic grow inside her. "Elise, what's going on?" She could barely wait for an answer as the spider had started lifting her away. "ELISE!" She tried to meet the spider woman's gaze but she wasn't looking.</p>
<p>As they carried her away she felt tears run down her face. Her thoughts raced in trying to understand what had happened and she refused to believe it. She sobbed against the web, taking a deep breath between each shout for help.</p>
<p>"Don't do this!" She yelled as she was taken out into the courtyard. She breathed in. "Please!" Another deep breath.</p>
<p>And another deep breath.</p>
<p>She could take deep breaths.</p>
<p>The dragon stopped shouting and tried to think straight. The web wasn't tight enough to suffocate her.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Back at the mansion, Darius shook Elise's hand. "I'll find you a seat at the Noxian council for your service tonight, Lady Elise. We'd be happy to welcome House Zavaan back amongst us."</p>
<p>"It would be my pleasure."</p>
<p>He showed himself out to gather his troops. With the new knowledge of where Demacia was camping, he would be rallying to raid them.</p>
<p>Elise let out a sigh of relief and looked down at the venomous arachnid. It had licked up its unused poison for another day. She smiled at it, before seeing the poppy on the floor.</p>
<p>The spider woman hadn't noticed it when Shyvana came in. Such a small flower got lost in the grasp of the large dragon. She picked it up, studying its red and perfect petals in the dim light. Her heart fluttered at the kind gesture, but she pushed her thoughts away.</p>
<p>Time was ticking. She dropped it and rushed out.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry updates have been a little slow recently - just finished my first year of Uni so I had a few assignments to do :P</p>
<p>If anyone spots spelling/grammar errors let me know :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elise had caught up to Darius as he led her into the Noxian palace. The building was grand but had the air of a fortress more than of luxury. The walls were lined with banners, all black and red, and the halls dotted with display cases of giant battleaxes and warhammers. Every so often, Elise caught the eye of another taxidermied monster - trophies that the Noxian army had brought back with them from their bloody skirmishes.</p>
<p>He brought her to the great hall, and introduced her to the generals gathered around the table.</p>
<p>"This is Lady Elise of house Zavaan. She brought us the Demacian dragon."</p>
<p>The soldiers studied her for a moment, smiling in approval.</p>
<p>"She has earned her place in our high ranks. She joins us tonight as we ravage the Demacian cowards."</p>
<p>There was a chant of agreement among the generals as they raised their glasses. Elise eyed the chalices. Golden rims and silver bodies. The wine swirled as they waved them.</p>
<p>They poured her a glass and gave her a seat at the table. She buttered them up as best she could, getting on their good side, sliding in subtle sweet talk like she would so often do with the aristocrats. They were all in a good mood, especially since they were so eager for bloodshed.</p>
<p>"Gentlemen," Darius said. "Let's go over the plan before we rally our army. Tonight will be a good night."</p>
<p>Elise had to listen to someone detailing out how they will taxidermy Jarvan's body, but luckily the conversation had soon shifted to cornering the Demacian instead. Darius stood and laid out a map across the table to explain how he wanted to approach the camp. Everyone's chalices were getting empty. This seemed a good time for some more fun.</p>
<p>The back wall of the room was lined with a shelf of wine bottles, all labeled and dated. Noxians valued their alcohol.</p>
<p>"Let me take care of your drinks," Elise said, standing with a wink.</p>
<p>"Go ahead," Darius replied, his eyes lingering on the spider woman's hips as she headed for a bottle, before shifting his attention back to the map. He had almost finished his instructions. "Half of us will get the Demacians. The other half will secure the fortresses. Without a doubt, they may have a last-ditch attempt to rescue their own. There's no way out for them once we gather our men."</p>
<p>The wine bottle popped as Elise opened it. She glanced over her shoulder. Everyone was still preoccupied with the map.</p>
<p>"And what about the dragon?" a general asked.</p>
<p>Elise hesitated for a moment, hearing the conversation shift to Shyvana.</p>
<p>"The finishing touch on the festival. Imagine that. A dragon fight." Darius chuckled. "Like a fucked up circus."</p>
<p>"Won't she be too strong?"</p>
<p>"Not if we weaken her beforehand. I want someone in charge of that."</p>
<p>Elise clutched the bottle tightly and took a deep breath. She headed back to the table and filled everyone's chalices up. She lifted her glass in the air to draw their attention. "To the end of Demacia!" She said.</p>
<p>They cheered and lifted their own glasses up, taking a chug of the wine. The spider woman put hers to her lips but did not drink.</p>
<p>The chatter continued for a few minutes as she waited.</p>
<p>Darius was mid-sentence when a general started spluttering, spitting droplets of blood onto the map. They stared in disbelief before another began choking, and another clutched his chest. Groans and gasps for air-filled the room, as Darius felt his own chest heavy with the poison. He looked up and met Elise's scarlet eyes and snarled, smashing his fist down onto the table.</p>
<p>He yelled something at her but his words were muffled by his chokes, and as he tried to dash across and grab her, he felt his legs were too weak and he fell with a thud. He gasped for air as Elise bent down, grabbing his jaw in her hands and digging her nails into his skin.</p>
<p>"Watch who you call <em>freakish.</em>" She shoved his head against the floor and walked out.</p>
<p>"I'll burn you to the ground!" She heard him yell before he continued to cough and writhe on the wood.</p>
<p>Though his generals may succumb to it, Darius would be too strong for the poison. It was only a hindrance so she could buy more time.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Fiora had gone back to sleep after having shooed Garen away. She was seething with fury at what she had to do, but she was glad it worked. The duelist lay her head down and pulled her sleeping back tighter around her against the cold. She hoped Shyvana was ok.</p>
<p>Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Quinn whispering to her from the next tent.</p>
<p>"Fiora? Fiora you awake?"</p>
<p>She sighed. "Yes."</p>
<p>"I've got a spider."</p>
<p>"Very funny." She rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe Quinn was already making fun of her.</p>
<p>"No, Fiora. He's got a message."</p>
<p>She frowned and sat up. She heard something rustling around her tent. It was an actual spider.</p>
<p>Her eyes widened. Oh, the irony.</p>
<p>She pressed her hand to her mouth to keep from making any noise. The arachnid inched closer, judging her movements. It was only the size of a small tarantula, and it seemed afraid of the duelist in case she tried to squish it. In its tiny jaws it held a note.</p>
<p>Fiora reached out and took the paper before the spiderling scurried away and vanished.</p>
<p>"I have one too," she whispered to the scout. Her eyes scanned the message, palms sweating. Adrenaline began coursing through her veins.</p>
<p>She heard Quinn coming out of her tent. "You tell Jarvan. I'll get the scouts."</p>
<p>She nodded. She hurried and got her armor on, before rushing outside.</p>
<p>"Get the soldiers moving!" She bellowed. "Up! Up! Up!"</p>
<p>Jarvan hurried out of his tent. "What in the hell-"</p>
<p>"You have a couple of hours to ready the troops," she yelled towards him. "We're leaving tonight. The prisoners are being released."</p>
<p>Jarvan's eyes were wide with disbelief. "What?"</p>
<p>"Do it, and leave once the scouts come back with the last one. You will either hurry or die." She added flatly, before hurrying to Quinn.</p>
<p>"We're ready," the scout said, a team of an unbelievable mix of animals and humans behind her. She held the spider messenger in her hand. Fiora was shocked at how nonchalantly she handled it. "Lead the way." She placed him on the ground and they followed his scurrying.</p>
<p>It would lead them through the hidden tunnel into the mansion, from where they would disperse into the city. If all went well, all they had to do was meet the fleeing prisoners in the fortresses and sneak them out. Each one following a different escape route out of the city to avoid ambush.</p>
<p>Somehow, someone was letting them free.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Shyvana was taken into a prison cell and left to lay on the stone floor. The spiders took the bindings off of her and instead the guards had come and chained her to the wall. She tugged and pulled on the heavy chains but it was useless. The titanium held against her, and more so she felt like her strength was drained by what had happened. She struggled to understand what Elise had done.</p>
<p>The stone beneath her was scorched from when she had lost her temper and blew fire around her cell, but it was also to no use. Her seething rage soon diminished and all she was left with was a heavy heartache.</p>
<p>She looked up at the two guards standing on the other side of the steel bars. They had wide axes and heavy armor, sipping something that she assumed was coffee. The dragon smelled the air, catching a whiff of their drinks.</p>
<p>Her dragon senses were keen enough to recognize it did not smell like coffee. There was something else in it, something that was masked by the bitter taste that they were so used to. The humans weren't keen enough to notice it until it was too late.</p>
<p>She could hear their breathing deepen before they started to wheeze. Their cups shattered as they hit the floor and they leaned onto the walls for support as their legs began to give. Slowly, they slid down onto the ground, panting and heaving before falling silent.</p>
<p>Shyvana was so focused on the scene before her that she missed the figure sneaking in through the window until she was right in front of the bars.</p>
<p>"Elise?" she was unsure what to feel. She wanted so badly to be relieved but she was afraid it was all a trick again.</p>
<p>The spider woman snatched the keys from the guard's belt and fumbled to throw the jail door open.</p>
<p>"Shyvana, there's no time to explain," she said as she undid her handcuffs. "It was the only way I could stop them from rallying after you. I had to do it. I had to get to the generals."</p>
<p>"W-what?"</p>
<p>Freed from the wall, she fell onto the floor, exhausted from struggling against the bindings for so long.</p>
<p>Elise cupped her face in her hands. "Listen," she said. "Almost all of the prisoners are already out and I have a few more to get to. But Shyvana..." she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. "He's going to burn it. The whole house. There are spiderlings still there and they won't know to leave in time." She looked at Shyvana pleadingly. "I know you're mad and hurt, but please help them. I won't have time to get there."</p>
<p>The dragon searched her eyes, struggling to take everything in at once. "You're... you're rescuing the prisoners?"</p>
<p>"No time to explain. Please, Shyvana. Go." She was tearing up. "They're everything I have."</p>
<p>She was still bewildered, but she nodded and picked herself up off the floor. "Ok."</p>
<p>"Fiora and Quinn are waiting for you," she said, before disappearing through the window just as fast as she came.</p>
<p>Shyvana's legs shook for a moment as she regained her balance. She rushed to the window after her, spotting the rope of web hanging down to the ground. She dropped down onto it, scaling down the wall. The city was quiet at night, but she noticed the guards by the entrance had also been drugged, laying against each other. It was hard to tell whether they were dead or asleep.</p>
<p>"Psst! Over here!"</p>
<p>As she landed on the ground she looked to see the two captains waiting for her in the shadows around the back of the fortress. She snuck to them hurriedly.</p>
<p>"We need to go," she said.</p>
<p>"Yes let's get the fuck out of here," Fiora said.</p>
<p>"No. We need to save the spiders. Back at the mansion."</p>
<p>"What? We have to leave, now! Jarvan will already be on his way once the last prisoner makes it out." The duelist spat.</p>
<p>"The spiders will burn to death. We need to get them."</p>
<p>"I'm not risking my life for some dumb spiders!"</p>
<p>Shyvana clenched her fist. "They're her family, Fiora. Not just some dumb spiders."</p>
<p>The duelist's stood back. Elise rescuing the prisoners after all. It was the least they could do. "Alright." She dropped her angry tone, suddenly feeling sorry for what she said.</p>
<p>"Let's go!" Quinn sent Valor up and they followed his lead to the mansion, whizzing in and out of alleyways to stay out of sight. The streets of Noxus seemed oddly deserted of guards and Shyvana wondered what Elise had meant when she said she had to get to the generals.</p>
<p>They reached the mansion and hurried inside. As always the spiders were hidden around every corner, but recognizing Shyvana a few came to light. It seemed that this time they weren't stalking her and tried to greet her. A couple had come up to her and tried to pet her with their front legs, like an apology, but there was no time for her to acknowledge it.</p>
<p>"They're coming for you!" She yelled. "Run! Run out!" She felt foolish and didn't think they could understand her, but a few cocked their heads. Shyvana motioned for them to start moving with her arms and they seemed to know what she meant as they headed down towards the tunnel.</p>
<p>"There's more. Check every room for them," she said to the others as they spread out throughout the house to search for the spiders.</p>
<p>The three captains run around the floors and rooms, waving their arms and yelling for the spiderlings to go. Fiora was quickly finding out she was an arachnophobe and was holding in screams of disgust with every spider she found, but she kept going nonetheless.</p>
<p>Through the windows came the yelling and chanting of approaching soldiers. Shyvana glanced outside and saw the horde wielding torches coming up the path.</p>
<p>"Hurry! Hurry up they're here!"</p>
<p>The first few flames started engulfing the entrance as they began throwing torches. Soon they circled the mansion and had begun burning everything.</p>
<p>The captains rummaged inside until they were confident there were no more critters around, ducking through the rising smoke. They coughed as they fled down into the basement before Shyvana heard something.</p>
<p>"You guys go ahead!" She yelled, and before they could protest she turned on her heels and ran back.</p>
<p>There was a faint scratching and she followed it into the kitchen. The fire was growing and she weaved in and out of the flames as she made her way forwards. Although the fire wasn't a danger for her, the fumes were starting to suffocate her and she wheezed more and more as she headed further. Her lungs stung with the thick smoke.</p>
<p>She scanned the kitchen for the source of the noise, hearing the wood crack and bend as the floors above her started to burn.</p>
<p>Looking up, she saw the little messenger spiderling stuck on the top of a cabinet, cowering in the corner next to the wall, too afraid to come down. Shyvana held her hand up to it, beckoning it to come to her.</p>
<p>"Come on little guy." She tried to talk him into it. "I'll save you."</p>
<p>He recognized her and he scooted over into her palms. She held onto him securely as she rushed back out, the walls cracking and sizzling more and more as the fire ate away at the structure. The halls were completely engulfed in the flames and she put the spider underneath her chest plate to protect him from the heat as she ran through them. There was one final crack from the floor above them, as the ceiling came crashing down behind them. Shyvana covered her head and pushed through down the stairwell into the basement, and nearly threw herself down the trap door and into the tunnel.</p>
<p>She coughed and wheezed, getting the black smoke out of her lungs for a few moments before running down the tunnel. The spiderling sensed the cool air and crawled out from under her armor, draping its front feet over the metal and peeking out. As they came out of the other side, it snuggled closer to Shyvana happily, like it was saying thank you. She smiled.</p>
<p>"You alright?" Quinn came up to her, wiping some of the black tar off of her face.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Had to get this little guy."</p>
<p>"Thank God. We heard the collapse and we didn't know if you made it," Fiora said, taking a step back seeing the spider in Shyvana's armor.</p>
<p>"The spiderlings fled somewhere North," Quinn said. "I think they knew a place."</p>
<p>"We should go too. Noxus may come looking for us. Jarvan would have left by now, is my guess." Fiora looked back in the direction of the camp, seeing no smoke on the horizon, meaning no more campfire. Chances were the scouts had already brought back the last prisoner.</p>
<p>"You guys can carry on," Shyvana said. "I need to wait with the spiderlings. I need to know if she made it out."</p>
<p>"We're not leaving you behind," Quinn said. "We'll stay with you."</p>
<p>Shyvana smiled and took them North where she presumed the spiders had hidden. Indeed they found them cowering inside the cave in the mountain. They took shelter with them, and Fiora was learning not to yelp every time one tried to play with her. They must have sensed they were Shyvana's friends, which they interpreted as meaning they must be their friends too. It was strange to see such vicious arachnids be so gentle with people they knew weren't food.</p>
<p>The dragon couldn't rest, and instead took watch outside the cave for any sign of Elise. Her mind was still racing with what had happened and she couldn't understand Elise's reasoning, but she did after all help them and she wanted to hear her out. If only she would hurry up so she could stop worrying so much.</p>
<p>She paced back and forth, keeping an eye around her, looking for any sign of movement through the trees. She also listened out in case the Noxian soldiers followed them, but all she could hear were the hoots of the owls. It was a new moon that night, and the woods were particularly dark.</p>
<p>Slowly, she was starting to think the worst. Maybe she didn't make it. Maybe they caught her. What would Darius do if they did? She had the urge to rush back into the city and find her. Maybe there was still time if she hurried-</p>
<p>"What are you looking for?"</p>
<p>Shyvana jumped. "Where did you-"</p>
<p>Elise chuckled. "I told you you never look up."</p>
<p>The dragon was sick with emotions swirling around her head. So much relief, but so much anger, so much happiness but so much fear.</p>
<p>"What the hell happened?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"</p>
<p>Shyvana shook her head. "No, but... why did you do that?"</p>
<p>Elise let out a sigh of relief. "I told you. My influence in Noxus isn't what it was and I needed a way to get into the palace by pretending I had caught a Demacian. I poisoned the generals so they couldn't rally their army. Without orders, Noxian soldiers had no idea what was happening and I could take out the guards in each fortress with a few spiderlings and more poison without raising the alarm." She looked up into Shyvana's eyes. "I couldn't have told you. Darius would never have bought it if you were acting when you got caught. I'm sorry. It was the only way for you to get away without a fight."</p>
<p>"But how did you get the scouts to take the prisoners?"</p>
<p>"Didn't they tell you? I sent a couple of spiderlings to your friends to tell them the plan. It was a lucky thing you told me about them so I knew who they would be."</p>
<p>Shyvana gulped as she took everything in. "I thought you..." she trailed off. In retrospect, she had noticed the web wasn't tightened around her, and the spiders hadn't bit her and carried her gently, but in the heat of the moment, she panicked nonetheless. The fear she felt that Elise had betrayed her stung deeply. She had never been afraid of being held captive, but the knowledge of being given away like that wrenched her heart.</p>
<p>"I know. I'm sorry." Elise wasn't used to apologizing and she had no idea what else to say. She could see the hurt in Shyvana's eyes and her own chest ached with what she'd done, but she had to admit it did end up working. She took Shyvana's hand, squeezing it, trying to gauge how the dragon was reacting. She responded by squeezing hers back faintly. "You should leave soon. Darius is regaining his strength and no doubt he would come looking."</p>
<p>"What will you do?"</p>
<p>Elise thought for a moment. She didn't dare set foot in Noxus again. "The spiderlings are fine around here. They know these caves and he'll never find them..." she said. "I suppose I'll find somewhere too. Eventually." She shivered against the cold gusts. Perhaps she would have to travel and take shelter in a nearby village, but Darius would no doubt be on her trail.</p>
<p>Shyvana nodded. She didn't say anything.</p>
<p>Elise was absentmindedly rubbing her hand with her thumb before she let go. "Anyway." She sighed. "I'm sorry again. If you ever..." she realized she was perhaps too hopeful in saying this but she continued nonetheless, "if you ever come back around here... you're welcome to say hello." She tried to smirk, but a few tears had welled up in her eyes and she struggled to hide them.</p>
<p>Shyvana looked back at the cave. Some of the spiders seemed to be playing with Fiora and Quinn, pouncing onto them only to be pushed off onto their backs before standing and doing it all again. Even the duelist, who hated them to begin with, chuckled at the way they struggled to pick themselves up. Valor, still afraid of their size, sat perched on the edge of the cave entrance watching the antics. He seemed to feel left out and hopped on inside and pounced onto Quinn just like the spiders.</p>
<p>The dragon's anger and fear faded. She looked back at Elise. "You could come with us. We'll keep you safe in Demacia while this blows over."</p>
<p>The spider woman's eyes widened. "Demacia? I'd never be welcomed there."</p>
<p>"You're with us though. Of course you will."</p>
<p>"Well..." she studied her for a moment, making sure she was serious. "Alright. If you're sure about it."</p>
<p>Shyvana smiled. "I am."</p>
<p>She took hold of Elise's hand. She hadn't said she accepted her apology, so instead, she bent down and placed a kiss on her lips, hoping that would get the same message across. The spider woman draped her arms over her shoulders and leaned into the kiss. She couldn't help but smile in relief. The gusts of wind didn't bother her anymore in the dragon's embrace.</p>
<p>They pulled apart at the sound of footsteps, turning to see Quinn walking over, with Fiora following behind. The scout had insisted they come and introduce themselves.</p>
<p>"Hi!" Quinn said, waving. "I'm Quinn." She had a goofy smile plastered on her face and held Valor on her arm. "And this is Valor."</p>
<p>"And I'm Fiora." The duelist added.</p>
<p>"I've heard nice things about all of you," Elise replied. "I'm Elise."</p>
<p>Fiora held back any snarky remarks and just smiled, shaking the spider woman's hand. She didn't seem so evil in person now that she thought about it.</p>
<p>Though it didn't seem like much, Elise was glad they had walked up. She was worried they would avoid her after what she'd done, but it seemed like they were just as understanding as Shyvana.</p>
<p>Their introductions were cut short by a horde of voices in the distance.</p>
<p>"They're coming," Elise said. "We need to go, we can't lure them to these caves."</p>
<p>Shyvana nodded. "You guys run ahead. I'll hold them back."</p>
<p>"We're not splitting up!" Quinn said.</p>
<p>"We'll never get away if we all try and fight them," she replied. "Just run ahead. I'll catch up with you."</p>
<p>Fiora and Quinn considered their options for a moment. Shyvana was strong enough and they trusted her. Without another word, they took off into the forest.</p>
<p>"Go!" The dragon motioned for Elise to follow them, but she wouldn't budge.</p>
<p>"I'm with you this time." She smirked. "About time you saw what I can do." She disappeared into the treetops, her form changing into that of a spider. Shyvana stared for a moment mesmerized, before losing sight of her as she vanished amongst the branches.</p>
<p>The dragon followed the direction of the voices and marching soldiers through the trees, spotting their brigade and waiting until they headed into a clearing before she roared and pounced, transforming into a dragon midair. The few she landed on were instantly crushed by her weight before she let out a fury of flames around her. The men screamed as the fire engulfed them, but they weren't alone.</p>
<p>More had charged from between the trees, but the dragon spun round, flinging them with her tail before headbutting and biting down on them.</p>
<p>Between the trees, she caught sight of archers. Safe in the denser woods they took aim, ready to fire, before a dark figure pounced down on them, taking them out one by one.</p>
<p>There was no time to admire Elise's work as another barbarian charged at her, battleaxe raised, his veins popping across his neck as he yelled. She swung at him with her wing, knocking him off his feet, before hoisting him up with her horns and flinging him across the clearing.</p>
<p>She panted, before hearing the commotion coming through the trees. Her eyes widened as battle cries swarmed the woods. She was surrounded by too many of them, and the rage and panic she felt coursed through her veins. It stung and burned and she felt the same raw power as when she had confronted Jarvan that morning. Something strange was happening, but she welcomed it as the soldiers charged her.</p>
<p>The dragon erupted into a roar that shook the ground as she frenzied across the clearing, blazing her surroundings and headbutting through the Noxians and their weapons, heaving them like flies. She swung everything she had at them, rage seething, and left a trail of bodies in her wake. She had never felt so powerful, but it was barely enough to hold her ground. The soldiers kept coming, and seeing their heavy weapons she realized it was time to flee. There were too many for just the two of them.</p>
<p>She swung at them, scanning the trees for Elise. They had to get out of there.</p>
<p>A heavy blade came down onto the side of Shyvana's head and the weapon stuck in her thick skin, drawing blood. The soldier was not a man but a beast with the face of a bull, donning thick barbed steel as armor. She may have struggled to best him, but her blood seethed stronger and her muscles tightened as she charged him with her horns. He grabbed onto her head as she did so, trying to pin her down but she fought harder against his grip. She let out a roar as she bested him, finally flinging him into the air. Her nostrils flared, and with one last blaze to distance them from her, she called out blindly at the trees.</p>
<p>She felt something drop down onto the back of her neck and cling to her scales. She couldn't see but she felt her hold on tightly. Without hesitation, she flapped her wings and took off, making sure Elise didn't lose her balance.</p>
<p>The soldiers were left screaming and throwing whatever they had at them, but they gained height too quickly for anything to reach.</p>
<p>The axe in Shyvana's temple throbbed, as blood splatters fell like rain from the sky. She should probably deal with that once they land.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Darius limped into the barracks. The soldiers stood at attention but they couldn't help staring at the state of the general. They had caught word that their superiors had been poisoned and did not make it.</p>
<p>"Assemble a team of assassins," he yelled. It was only after he said it that he realized his generals were dead and there was no one to do that other than him. "I want our best assassin to come forward." He scanned the soldiers, his eyes bloodshot and his veins darkened by the vile concoction.</p>
<p>A young man stepped forward, a raven perched on his shoulder.</p>
<p>Darius coughed a few times. "I want you to find Elise of the former house Zavaan. I don't want her alive. You will bring me her head."</p>
<p>The man nodded, his hood covering his face. Without another word, he stepped out. His raven took flight. It would lead him to his target.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Elise clung to Shyvana for dear life, shutting her eyes so she wouldn't look down. She felt a few droplets on her leg and she dared to look only to see a trickle of blood flying in the wind. She followed it to the dragon's temple and noticed the axe lodged in her. Her eyes widened, panicked, but Shyvana seemed unfazed by it.</p>
<p>They lost the soldiers a while ago. Down in the distance, they spotted Quinn and Fiora still traipsing through the night. Shyvana circled down above them and landed with a thud, lowering her head to let Elise jump off her neck.</p>
<p>"Well it was about time you caught up," Fiora said. She caught sight of the blood trickling down Shyvana's face. "Oh shit."</p>
<p>The dragon tried to shake her head to make it fall out, but it was too stuck.</p>
<p>"Hold still, idiot." The duelist grabbed onto the handle, but she couldn't yank it out. Shyvana's skin was too thick and it had begun healing over the blade.</p>
<p>Quinn and Elise had also grabbed on, and they all pulled together. The blade struggling against her flesh stung, but she didn't let it show. Eventually, the axe came free with one last tug, causing more blood to splatter onto the grass before the wound began to close.</p>
<p>With the weapon gone, Shyvana shifted back to her humanoid form. She was exhausted.</p>
<p>"Did anyone follow you?" Quinn asked.</p>
<p>"I don't think so," Elise replied as the dragon was still catching her breath. She looked down at the blood and realized they had left a trail as they flew. Hopefully, the winds were strong enough to have scattered it as it fell.</p>
<p>"We have to keep going through the night. We'll find a camping spot after we're out of their reach." The scout looked up at Valor circling above them, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.</p>
<p>"Are you alright?" the spider woman asked Shyvana, touching her temple gently to see how the wound was doing. It only looked like a scratch.</p>
<p>The dragon nodded. "We made a good team there."</p>
<p>"Of course we did. Did you underestimate me?" She grinned and the dragon rolled her eyes, throwing her arm around her shoulders as they started walking.</p>
<p>As Shyvana readjusted to her human form, she felt her fury die down. The raw power she had felt during their skirmish was stronger than usual, and the feeling she had still ghosted through her veins for a while longer. Something strange seemed to have happened.</p>
<p>They traveled through the night. At the first sign of dawn, they exited the woods and found a place to set up camp. The terrain here was warmer and the trees were less dense, but the ground was still rocky. Shyvana recognized the place. They put together some makeshift shelters and lied down for a short rest. The rising sun was making it difficult to sleep, but they managed for a few hours.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"We'll need some better food." Fiora roasted the last few roots they had and passed them around.</p>
<p>"Valor and I will take care of that if you guys don't mind hanging for a little longer." The scout had already gathered some vines and twigs to make a few traps for the local hares.</p>
<p>"I wasn't too keen to get going again anyway." The duelist rubbed her eyes. "Let me know if you need any help." She headed back into her shelter, which was nothing more than a few branches holding up blankets of leaves.</p>
<p>Quinn also headed out to plant her traps, with Valor circling above looking for targets.</p>
<p>"Still sore?" Elise asked, turning to Shyvana. The fire was dying down.</p>
<p>"It never hurt."</p>
<p>She chuckled. "Impressive."</p>
<p>Shyvana looked at the spider woman. She seemed tense. She was probably still stressing that Noxus would come after her. "I know a place near here. It'll help you relax a little." She stood up and held her hand out to Elise, leading her away.</p>
<p>It was a fifteen-minute walk before she saw the steam rising from the ground. The grass was thinner around these parts, and the ground was mostly bare around the hot water springs. There were three pools of the hot thermal water clustered together, and smaller ones dotted around them.</p>
<p>"They say there's a whole sea under here," Shyvana said. "And these springs are just tiny leaks." She walked over and knelt by the water, touching it with her hand. "Apparently they're being warmed by the fire in the earth."</p>
<p>"The... fire? In the earth?" Elise frowned and knelt next to her.</p>
<p>"Yeah. There's a giant ball of fire at the center of the earth. That's where my dad said dragons come from."</p>
<p>A ball of fire didn't sound right and she wondered whether Shyvana meant magma instead. Either way, she smiled and nodded. She tested the water herself. It was so pleasantly warm. "No wonder you're such a powerful dragon then." She looked over to see Shyvana blush. "Shall we head in then?"</p>
<p>The thought of a warm bath was just what Elise needed, so she didn't hesitate to undress and neatly fold her clothes by the side of the springs. She glanced over her shoulder to see the dragon staring, but she pretended not to notice. She waded into the water and sat by the edge of the pool. She sighed as the water reached her chest.</p>
<p>The water rippled and she turned to see Shyvana getting in beside her, muscles gleaming in the sun. She was the one staring now.</p>
<p>"How do you know about this place?" the spider woman asked, resting her head on the dragon's shoulder.</p>
<p>"I've seen it on our way to Noxus."</p>
<p>The hot steam was making Elise's cheeks turn pink and Shyvana smiled at how cute she looked. Then her eyes wandered off and she realized cute was an understatement. She slid her arm around her waist, fingers draping across her soft skin.</p>
<p>"So why did you bring me here?" she said smirking.</p>
<p>"I wanted you to relax a little." The dragon answered innocently and pressed their foreheads together. Elise's glowing red eyes were even more enthralling up close.</p>
<p>"Is that so?" The spider woman shifted her weight against Shyvana so she had to lean against the edge of the pool to avoid toppling over. Her lips ghosted over the dragon's as she moved onto her lap. "How awfully convenient for you that I would find this relaxing." She grinned, running her hands up Shyvana's chest as she stared wide-eyed. As she leaned into a kiss, she wanted to feel everything, from the dragon's defined pecs to her muscular arms.</p>
<p>There was nothing to distract them other the sound of the ripples in the water. The air was still and despite being out in the open, the warmth of the pools provided a sense of security.</p>
<p>Shyvana's hands slid down Elise's back as she let the spider woman roam her body, deepening the kiss. She wasn't used to being touched so tenderly, only knowing the heavy hits of battle. She was hesitant to relax into her grasps.</p>
<p>"Always so tense," Elise whispered as she pulled away from Shyvana's lips, looking hungrily into her eyes. "When will you learn to let your guard down?" She grinned and cupped her breasts in her hands. She felt the dragon's breath hitch. "Let go." She said softly into her ear, tracing her jawline with her nose, tickling the dragon slightly.</p>
<p>As Shyvana's body seemed to loosen underneath her, Elise slowly trailed a hand down her abs. "Good," she whispered with a seductive laugh. Her fingers trickled down agonizingly slow, but the dragon didn't dare twitch in case she stopped and teased her more. Her eyes were locked with the spider woman's, pleading with her. Elise bit her lip as she brought her hand down between Shyvana's legs, smirking at the gasp she elicited.</p>
<p>"Elise..." the dragon whispered, letting out the breath she was holding.</p>
<p>Hearing her name made her happier than she anticipated, so she leaned in for a kiss to hide that she nearly dropped her tough seductive act. She smiled as Shyvana rocked her hips against her hand, each breath quicker than the last.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Valor was circling something overhead. He found something.</p>
<p>Quinn eyed the bushes he stalked and heard the rustling herself. She readied an arrow in her crossbow. She anticipated something small to emerge at any moment - perhaps a hare.</p>
<p>The scout stayed hidden. The bushes rustled one last time as the creature dashed forward. She aimed her crossbow before Valor's shriek stopped her. Her eyes widened.</p>
<p>"Mr. Stripes?" She dropped her weapon and held her hands out to pick him up. "What are you doing here?" She checked to see whether he was hurt. His fur was a little dirty, but he was otherwise unharmed.</p>
<p>The badger squeaked a few times, raising his nose up to her face and booping her. He was so happy to see her.</p>
<p>"You wanted to wait for us? Mr. Stripes, that was so dangerous of you to do!" She gave his head a kiss. "You shouldn't have worried about us. Shyvana is ok and she helped us get away."</p>
<p>He squeaked some more.</p>
<p>"Yes, spider friend is with us too. Her name is Elise."</p>
<p>The badger nodded, even though he forgot names almost immediately.</p>
<p>"Come on. Let's get you back to our camp so you can keep Fiora company while me and Valor keep hunting."</p>
<p>Mr. Stripes knew sword friend. She didn't pay attention to him at first but now always fed him something, so he squeaked excitedly.</p>
<p>Fiora was drifting in and out of sleep as she heard footsteps approaching. She got up to see who it was. It was just Quinn.</p>
<p>"Did you find anything?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yes." She showed her the badger she was holding. "Look who waited for us! He was worried sick."</p>
<p>Fiora sighed. Despite her usual snarkiness, she smiled and held her hands out. Mr. Stripes moved over into her hold, looking around for any snacks she might have. "No more food for you. Look at you, you're getting fat."</p>
<p>Quinn gasped. "Fiora! He is not fat! He's fluffy."</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." She looked down at the badger. His ears were rolled back and he looked up at her with sad little eyes. "Aw alright, I was joking."</p>
<p>"Tell him what you really think of him."</p>
<p>"Oh come on."</p>
<p>"Tell him, Fiora!"</p>
<p>The duelist rolled her eyes. "I think you've very handsome." The badger immediately beamed, reaching up to give Fiora kisses as he squeaked. She couldn't help chuckling, and she looked up to see Quinn smiling proudly.</p>
<p>"And don't you let her tell you otherwise," the scout said, before heading back out with Valor.</p>
<p>Fiora put Mr. Stripes down and headed back into her sleeping bag. She couldn't really sleep anymore but she still felt tired. It wasn't long before she felt something snuggling against her chest, and she found the badger trying to share her warmth. She petted him a few times before he slumped down next to her with a sigh and a few happy squeaks.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Shyvana relaxed in Elise's arms as she came down from her high. She rested her head on her chest and sunk a little further in the water with a sigh. The spider woman smiled at how soft the dragon became, twiddling her braided hair. <em>Whatever happened to the big tough drake, </em>she thought.</p>
<p>She looked out at the water's surface, following the trails of steam. She would have loved for time to stand still but they had to leave soon. They would reach Demacia by nightfall if they were lucky, but Elise was starting to have doubts. The Demacians would never house a lady of Noxus, even a former one. She wouldn't be able to rebuild her life there. She thought of all the other places she could go. There were counties outside Ionia brimming with misfits of all sorts, usually looking for refuge to practice their magic. There was a chance she could blend in.</p>
<p>Shyvana took a deep breath and she wondered whether the dragon had fallen asleep. She glanced at her, but her eyes weren't closed. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, and she was deep in thought too.</p>
<p>"Are you alright, my sweet?"</p>
<p>She blinked a few times before looking up at Elise. "Yeah." She sat up so they were level. "You know earlier?"</p>
<p>"Yes. I never expected a dragon to growl quite like <em>that</em>." She smirked.</p>
<p>Shyvana blushed. "What- no no..." She gulped. "Earlier. Like the fight. With the Noxians."</p>
<p>Elise was a little disappointed. "Ah, I suppose I remember that too."</p>
<p>"When I was in my dragon form there was something strange. Like my blood felt... different. I felt stronger."</p>
<p>"Has it happened before?"</p>
<p>"Yeah. When I stood up to Jarvan after I came back from your place. You know after that morning when you cured me." She smiled sheepishly, remembering the scene in Elise's kitchen.</p>
<p>"Strange indeed. I do wonder if... no that can't be right."</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"Though we seemed to have cured you of the lycanthropy I wouldn't be surprised if some of it stayed..." Elise's voice trailed off. She wasn't sure herself.</p>
<p>"But I'm not a werewolf. How does that make sense?"</p>
<p>"No no, you're still a half-dragon. The disease just might have... merged with you. That's what you might be feeling."</p>
<p>Shyvana took a moment to process. "So it combined its strength with me."</p>
<p>"It would seem so."</p>
<p>The dragon grinned. "What didn't kill me made me stronger. Literally."</p>
<p>Elise rolled her eyes, nudging her away. "I should have let it kill you."</p>
<p>"What? No!"</p>
<p>The spider woman gasped as Shyvana splashed her with water. She tried to block it with her hands but her attacks kept coming.</p>
<p>"Ok! Ok!" She said between giggles. "You were worth saving."</p>
<p>"Good." The dragon leaned on her elbows on the edge of the pool, trying to look smug.</p>
<p>A playful smile spread on Elise's lips. "Shouldn't dragons be afraid of water?"</p>
<p>"No. Why would we be afraid of- AH!" She covered her face with her arm against the onslaught of splashes.</p>
<p>"Good thing you can breathe fire! That'll save you!"</p>
<p>"Don't pick a fight you can't win!" She tried to return the splashes with her spare hand before diving beneath the water. Elise tried to follow her silhouette under the surface but was still taken by surprise as she emerged beneath her, grabbing her legs and lifting her up on her shoulders. The spider woman was thrown off balance, but the dragon held onto her tightly. "Any last words?"</p>
<p>"Don't you dare!"</p>
<p>"Dare what?" She didn't wait for an answer as she leaned back and let go, letting Elise fall backwards into the water.</p>
<p>She resurfaced quickly, failing to hold in her laughter. "You played dirty."</p>
<p>"Don't make me do it again." Shyvana turned, readying her next move when Elise leaned towards her, cupping her face and kissing her. She was stunned even after she pulled away, eyes wide. She had noticed the spider woman's smirk too late and got a faceful of water thrown at her.</p>
<p>"Too easy." Elise chuckled.</p>
<p>"Doesn't count. You cheated!"</p>
<p>"That makes two of us." Another onslaught of splashes.</p>
<p>As their laughter died down, they became aware that it was getting late.</p>
<p>Leaving the hot water baths behind, they got dressed again and walked back towards the camp. Elise had slipped her hand into Shyvana's, and although they were no longer in the thermal water, the dragon felt the same warm feeling.</p>
<p>In their happiness however they were oblivious to the raven circling above them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With the first signs of light came also the first signs of the Demacian walls on the horizon. They had been held up by heavy rain and were forced to seek shelter, which meant they had arrived later than anticipated. The dawn was a beautiful sight as the skies cleared, and the warm colors shone off of the grand structures ahead of them. Elise had traveled to many places across Runeterra, but Demacia had never been one of them, and the bright, grand architecture was a sight to behold.</p>
<p>Surrounding the fortified walls were plenty of farming villages and communities, outside the protection of the castle courtyards, but still guarded with regular patrols. As they traipsed along the dirt path, Elise stared at the cottages and farmlands. The only other creatures awake were the chickens that roamed freely around the town, and the rooster that began crowing with the morning sun. Their lives seemed so humble - a huge contrast to the lives of the nobles within the city walls. It was peaceful and serene, something she had never known.</p>
<p>"I came from one of these villages!" Quinn said. All of them were tired from the sleepless night, but the scout sounded so full of energy. "I'm from Uwendale, further North! If you want I'll show you around one day, Elise."</p>
<p>The spider woman smiled at the offer. She hadn't expected hospitality. "Thank you. That would be nice."</p>
<p>"Ugh, you shouldn't have accepted." Fiora rolled her eyes. "She'll take you around the woods for hours."</p>
<p>"They're very nice woods, actually!"</p>
<p>"All woods are nice to you."</p>
<p>Quinn held Mr. Stripes in one hand and pointed around to the farms nearby with the other. She told Elise about each farmer living where and what they were like. She knew so many people, including the local tavernkeepers. Despite her position in the Demacian army now, she never stopped visiting people, and still lived in Uwendale where she liked it most.</p>
<p>Her tour was cut short by two guards spotting them on their patrol.</p>
<p>"They're here!" One of them exclaimed. "Go! Let Prince Jarvan know!" He shooed the other away. "Welcome! We've been given orders to escort you directly to the palace."</p>
<p>"The palace? We haven't slept all night, this can surely wait!" Fiora said.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, my Lady. They're the Prince's orders."</p>
<p>There was no use arguing so they complied. They let themselves be led through the gates of Demacia and inside the city walls. As the morning rolled around, the streets were starting to fill with merchants and couriers, and the market square was beginning to come to life. Despite their rush, people still stopped to look at the spider woman. She was no doubt a strange sight for them.</p>
<p>The roads seemed to diverge in all directions at once, and navigating the place seemed impossible to Elise. There were so many stalls, stands, blacksmiths, inns, apothecaries that she lost count of the sheer amount of services and merchandise. Every corner was lined with soldiers and guards in their heavy Demacian armor, gleaming in the sun. She thought it was laughable. They would stick out in any crowd like a sore thumb.</p>
<p>The road leading up to the palace was nicely paved with intricate patterns etched into the stone. The edges were lined with gleaming metal, which although looked golden she doubted it was real gold. The palace itself was grandiose and surrounded by gardens. Every bush was trimmed to perfection in a manner that seemed almost ridiculous. The spider woman had always enjoyed beautiful things, but the beauty of Demacia seemed forced and closely regulated. While there was no room for it to falter, there was also no room for it to grow. Still, she was happy for Shyvana that she was finally back home.</p>
<p>They were let in by the guards into the palace and led down into the main hall. By this point, Elise had ceased to be impressed with the Demacian embellishments and paid little attention to the ornaments adorning the walls. Before them, Jarvan sat on his throne and stood to greet them as they wandered in.</p>
<p>Elise wasn't sure whether she was supposed to curtsy, but none of the others did so she didn't either.</p>
<p>"I'm glad you made it back safely!" Jarvan said. He shifted his eyes from one of them to the next before stopping in his tracks. He frowned when he saw Elise. "And who might you be?"</p>
<p>"I'm Lady Elise."</p>
<p>"Lady Elise? Of which house?"</p>
<p>"House Zavaan. The... former House Zavaan."</p>
<p>"I see. I've heard of it before, you know." He squinted. "Why should you be welcome in our city?"</p>
<p>Shyvana seemed ready to pounce but Elise lay a hand on her arm to calm her. She had this. "I rescued your prisoners, made sure they were brought back to you safely and sacrificed whatever was left of my life in Noxus to do that."</p>
<p>Jarvan shifted uncomfortably. It seemed like he hadn't informed anyone else in his royal court that it wasn't him who freed the soldiers. "Very well. As for the rest of you, disciplinary actions have already been agreed."</p>
<p>"What on earth are you talking about?" Fiora asked. Her rage was seething, along with everyone else's.</p>
<p>"While we were there you directly disobeyed my orders and withheld information from me. I did warn you, Shyvana." He turned to the dragon. "I know you think yourself above the law, but there must be consequences."</p>
<p>"You're not serious," she spat through gritted teeth. "I saved your life once, Jarvan, and I only went and did it again. You'd have waltzed into Noxus and gotten all of us killed!" Her blood was boiling. She felt Elise's hand on her back and she managed to reel her fury in.</p>
<p>"Laws are laws," he said. "I'm sorry. We thank all of you for your work out there, but rules must be followed. I remind you that you have committed treason out there. Starting now, all three of you are suspended from your positions. You'll be forbidden to return to work for one month, after which you will regain a lower position. For Quinn and Fiora, you will be demoted to lieutenants. Shyvana," he paused and sighed, "you will join the rest of your soldiers as a private." He waved his hand. "Dismissed."</p>
<p>Shyvana stared in disbelief. She looked around at the faces of the other generals but everyone was avoiding her gaze.</p>
<p>Two guards escorted them out.</p>
<p>"You're a fool, Jarvan!" Fiora shouted as they headed out. "How dare you disrespect House Laurent in this way? We're your backbone, don't you forget that!" The guards had shut the door behind them and he probably didn't even hear half of what she said. "Consequences my ass. We'd have all been dead without Shyvana and Elise." She turned to the two guards trying to move them along. "And you better back off before I snap you in half."</p>
<p>Despite Jarvan's orders, the guards were equally as afraid of Fiora and stood back, watching as they let themselves out.</p>
<p>Quinn was still holding onto Mr. Stripes who now leaned on her chest with his front paws, reaching up to try and lick her face. She looked down at him and smiled. "Don't you worry Mr. Stripes. We'll be fine. I'll be back with the scouts in no time."</p>
<p>The badger considered what she said for a moment and sat back down in her palm, but didn't seem convinced. He rested his head on her chest and sighed.</p>
<p>"So much for justice," Fiora said.</p>
<p>Quinn was juggling between comforting Mr. Stripes and calming Valor down who kept trying to peck at her helmet. "That was a pretty low blow." She looked around at everyone's sullen expressions. "But come on guys! That just means we'll be on more missions together again. Less dumb captain work, right?"</p>
<p>They tried to smile but the news was still hitting them pretty hard, especially for Shyvana, who couldn't bring herself to look the scout in the eye.</p>
<p>"We should probably go home and rest. I'm dying for a shower." Fiora sighed.</p>
<p>They parted ways, the duelist heading back to house Laurent and the scout heading to her own home outside the city walls.</p>
<p>"Staying with me?" Shyvana asked Elise. She tried to hide her sadness but it came through in her voice.</p>
<p>"If that's alright."</p>
<p>The dragon nodded. Of course it was alright, she wouldn't let Elise stay at some random, most probably overpriced tavern in Demacia. They were never friendly to mages.</p>
<p>They walked away from the palace and down towards the barracks. When Shyvana had first joined the Demacian ranks she had never really interacted with the rest of the city folk, and shun away from the bustling markets and festivals, so Jarvan had given her somewhere to stay in the one place she liked. Her house overlooked the barracks where she spent most of her time, though now she felt almost sick looking at them.</p>
<p>She held the door open for Elise, and, despite her mood, gave her a smile saying, "After you."</p>
<p>The spider woman rolled her eyes, heading inside. Shyvana's place looked spacious since she had very little furniture besides a table and a couple of chairs. She wasn't sure how the dragon cooked her food, but then again she also wasn't sure what half-dragons even ate. The floorboards were old and they creaked under her weight and to the left was a wooden staircase that probably let up to her bedroom.</p>
<p>"It's not that impressive," Shyvana said. "Jarvan was kind enough to sign over the lease to me for free, but I'm convinced it was because it's so old no one else wanted it. But I didn't mind. It was alright for me. I was barely in here anyway." She looked around herself before glancing over to Elise to gauge her expression. "Would you be alright staying here? If not at least until you find something better-"</p>
<p>"Don't be silly, my sweet." She chuckled and reached up to kiss her cheek. "As long as there's no surprise lava pit I should be aware of."</p>
<p>"It's upstairs, I use it as a bathtub."</p>
<p>"Maybe put a warning sign in front of it so I know."</p>
<p>Shyvana smiled. The banter took her mind off of her current situation. She led Elise upstairs so they could wash up from the long trip before crashing down onto her bed. They were both equally as exhausted.</p>
<p>Finally getting to lie down, Elise had started drifting off to sleep next to Shyvana. At some point, she felt her shift and got the feeling she had left, but before she could ask if she was ok, she had fallen back asleep.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The Demacian walls were well guarded but he had been through worse. The raven now sat perched on his shoulder as he headed down the road towards the city gates. The guards at the entrance unsheathed their swords and walked towards him.</p>
<p>"Halt! State your name and business."</p>
<p>The shrouded man said nothing and kept walking.</p>
<p>The guards lunged towards him, but their hands grabbed onto nothing. As they flailed to pin him down, his image seemed to disperse into the air like fine dust.</p>
<p>"What the fuck?" one of the soldiers whispered, looking around frantically for the man but there was nothing. He turned to see a guard patrol just coming out of the city. "Did you see the bastard?"</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?"</p>
<p>The guards looked at each other in disbelief. There was no way they were seeing things. They searched the faces of the other passerby's - farmers and leather workers coming and going with their goods - but no one else looked shocked or even alarmed.</p>
<p>"Must have..." he said, "must have been nothing."</p>
<p>They returned to their posts, slightly embarrassed by their outburst.</p>
<p>Now blending into the market crowds was a young, hooded man with a raven. The clone the guards had killed was nothing more than an illusion of himself, but every time one shattered it sent pins and needles through his body. It was a nuisance at first, but the more it happened the more it annoyed him. He should ask Swain to mentor him again. Perhaps there was something he was missing. For now, he just frowned and kept going. He needed to find somewhere to hide until nightfall.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Elise squinted and blinked a few times as she woke up. There was barely any light coming in through the blinds. She frowned. How long had she slept? The exhaustion had really taken a toll on her - from the long journey to the stress of fleeing Noxus. Her body used to be better at dealing with it. Perhaps this was another consequence of giving up her eternal youth.</p>
<p>She sighed. Sitting up, she noticed the empty space next to her. Had Shyvana even rested at all?</p>
<p>As the sun set, the room was getting colder and she shivered as she came out from under the covers. She noticed one of Shyvana's linen shirts hanging off the foot of the bed and she decided to throw it on. It was too long and reached down to her thighs but it was warm and smelled of her. A lucky find.</p>
<p>She headed down in search of the dragon and found her sitting at the table, scratching patterns into a wooden slab with her claws.</p>
<p>Without saying anything, she headed over, startling her as she came into view.</p>
<p>"You're so quiet," Shyvana said. "Why can I never hear you coming?"</p>
<p>Elise smirked and sat down next to her. "So you'll always be surprised to see me." She cast her glance down to the wood she engraved. She had drawn on a mess of patterns and in some places pressed too hard and the wood had cracked.</p>
<p>"It's relaxing," she explained.</p>
<p>"I see." Elise searched her face, realizing how tired she looked. She had never seen the dragon look so defeated. "How are you feeling?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.</p>
<p>Shyvana had to think for a few moments. She rarely, if ever, put her feelings into words and she didn't really know how to. Humans relied too much on words sometimes. "Not good," she said, unsure of how to continue. She noticed Elise wearing her shirt though, and that made her feel a little better. She looked cute in the oversized linen.</p>
<p>"Was captain more than just a rank for you? Did you feel like that was who you were? Like your place in the world?"</p>
<p>The dragon looked at her confused. "I thought that's how it was for everyone. That being a soldier was... it. There was never anything else to do." She stuttered for a moment as she thought. "P-Place in the world? What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"Well, where is it? Where do you belong?"</p>
<p>"Here, of course. Fighting is... all I'm good at and... being a soldier is all I know to do. I've spent years trying to earn the respect of others so they could see me as powerful as I really am and now Jarvan's just... taken it away." She took a deep breath.</p>
<p>Elise placed her hand on her arm. "But you're more than just a soldier." She smiled. "You tell me all the time."</p>
<p>"I do?"</p>
<p>She chuckled. "Yes." It was unlike Elise to be the one talking about feelings. She was usually the one controlling them, but all she could think of doing was helping Shyvana. "You told me about your friends and how much they love you, and the things you do with them are a whole other life outside the army. You once told me you wanted to travel to places other than Freljord too. You may brag about how many yetis you've killed but you're really just telling me you want to protect people." She paused for a moment and reached out to move a strand of hair out of her face. "I've never met someone as kind and loyal as you, Shyvana. Even after I betrayed you, you still helped me." Her throat tightened a little but she held her own emotions back. "You never were just a soldier, were you?"</p>
<p>The dragon felt her heart thumping in her chest. Her thoughts ran wild inside her head and she couldn't help letting a couple of tears out, wiping them away quickly with embarrassment.</p>
<p>"You haven't changed just because of a title. You could still take out just as many yetis - and have women fawn over you just the same -" she made Shyvana smile a little, "so fuck Jarvan. What can <em>he</em> transform into anyway?" She cupped the dragon's face. Her eyes were shiny with tears but she wasn't looking sullen anymore. Elise could tell what she said got through to her.</p>
<p>"How do you always know what to say?" she asked.</p>
<p>"It's not about what as much as how. I told you the truth."</p>
<p>"You think that about me?"</p>
<p>Elise rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you didn't know. Of course."</p>
<p>As sad as she may have been previously, Shyvana felt a tinge of happiness. Looking into Elise's eyes she believed her. She wasn't just a soldier - because of everything she mentioned, but also because of what she felt looking at her. She leaned forward, pressing their lips together. She felt her smile into the kiss and she couldn't help smiling back.</p>
<p>"You should rest, my sweet," she whispered, her lips ghosting over Shyvana's.</p>
<p>The dragon felt heavy with sleep and as much as she wanted to stay with Elise longer she realized there was no way she could stay awake. She nodded and reluctantly stood.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she said. "I..." she couldn't find any words to express herself again. She wanted Elise to know how much it meant to her. "I really appreciated what you said." That didn't convey half of the things she wanted to say. "I always want to say more but... I don't know how." She confessed.</p>
<p>"It's ok," Elise replied. She had realized that herself, but Shyvana was easy to read so she would understand anyway. "You don't need to."</p>
<p>That was reassuring. "Are you coming as well?"</p>
<p>"Give me a couple of minutes. I've just woken up so I'll stretch my legs first."</p>
<p>Shyvana nodded before heading off to bed.</p>
<p>Elise watched as the sleepy dragon dragged herself up the stairs and she would have loved to follow, but she felt restless and couldn't bring herself to lie down again. The sunlight outside had vanished as night fell. She could sit and think about what she would do with herself now she had fled Noxus, or she could do something more useful than pitying herself. She glanced across to the chair Shyvana had been sitting in. There were more shirts draped over the back of it. She chuckled, realizing the dragon had a habit of leaving things wherever. The tunic on top looked worn out, probably something she wore when she trained. She realized there was a hole starting to rip along the seam on its side.</p>
<p>That's just going to get bigger if it doesn't get fixed, she thought. She had sewn things with fine webbing before, and it held better than thread. All she needed was something thin and sharp to use as a needle. She glanced out the window. There were a few bushes outside the house with twigs that would have to do. She pulled the linen shirt tighter around her as she headed out in cold, and snapped a few.</p>
<p>The skies were clear, and the moonlight cast shadows around her.</p>
<p>A flutter of wings startled her. She let out a sigh. It was nothing. She shook her head, realizing she was probably paranoid due to being somewhere new. Holding the twigs she headed back inside and locked the door, before sitting down trying to figure out which one was best to use.</p>
<p>One of the twigs came to a sharp point at the end she snapped it at, and it was thin enough that it wouldn't damage the fabric. She spun a few strands of fine, delicate web and pulled it taught. It held incredibly well.</p>
<p>She squinted and began weaving the web through the fabric, closing the gap. The room was quiet, other than the sound of her poking the tunic and pulling the web through. As she neared the end of the stitch she concentrated, being careful to knot it as small as she could so it wouldn't bother Shyvana when she wore it. With that done, she cut the excess web off and admired her work, before putting the tunic back down on the chair.</p>
<p>As she turned, she spotted a shadow out of the corner of her eye.</p>
<p>She spun round in her chair towards it, only to feel a hand clamp down over her mouth from behind. She tried to stand, but she was pulled back down onto the chair. Cold metal pressed against her throat but she ignored it, biting down hard on the fingers on her face. She couldn't produce much venom in her human form, but whatever she managed was enough for the assailant to wince and pull his hand away, lowering the blade without thinking as he grimaced.</p>
<p>His pain wouldn't last enough so she sprung to her feet, only to find there was no one there. She looked around, but the room was empty.</p>
<p>There was no way she was paranoid enough to have made that up. She knew the type of magic that was at play here. Quickly, she turned towards the stairs to warn Shyvana, only to be met with another dark shadow. She swung at it, and it shattered to dust in front of her. Before she could regain her senses, she was surrounded by daggers pointed at her throat. Four shadows circled her, and she had no idea which was the real one.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Shyvana had undressed and gotten into bed. She was nearly asleep when she wondered why Elise was taking so long. She didn't want to bother her, knowing she had slept during the day, but she did say she would only be a few minutes. Maybe going down to see what she was doing was a little too needy. She had already lifted her spirits, she really couldn't ask for anything else of her.</p>
<p>Still, she realized she hadn't asked her if she needed anything to eat or drink. That was rude of her. It could also be her excuse to check up on her.</p>
<p>She got up, a little dizzy from exhaustion, and headed downstairs. Her eyes were nearly closing as she went down each step, but as she got near to the bottom all sleep left her body. Her blood boiled at the scene she witnessed.</p>
<p>Without a moment of hesitation, she roared. She lunged forward, flailing at the men who stood around Elise, but they all crumbled to dust. Her breathing quickened, full of rage, noticing the figures rebuild themselves all around them. They all seemed to be some kind of wicked spirits.</p>
<p>"Stand back, Elise," she said, her voice growling with the fury building inside her.</p>
<p>"Shyvana-" she realized there was no time. Without another word she shifted to her spider form and clung the ceiling, out of Shyvana's way as she turned into a dragon, knocking the table and chairs across the room as she swung at the shadows.</p>
<p>She thrashed her tail, knocking them out as they appeared, whipping her head round to them to try and crush them in her jaws but they always vanished into thin air. The dragon had never seen anything like this before and the constant game of whack-a-mole enraged her further. She did everything in her power not to burst into flames, knowing that would have worse consequences. She was already crammed enough, trying hard not to knock down the walls of the house.</p>
<p>Elise watched attentively. She knew the real culprit must be down there somewhere but she couldn't see him. The bastard was a damn good illusionist.</p>
<p>As Shyvana chomped down on a shadow, she heard a wheeze and fit of coughs. She spun round trying to find the sound but she couldn't see anyone. Before she could understand, she saw Elise pounce down from the ceiling. She seemed like she would hit nothing, but as she fell, she latched onto something, forcing him to come out of his illusion and show himself.</p>
<p>The dragon could now see the shrouded assassin being held tightly by the spider. He choked as she wound two of her legs around his throat. As he felt her fangs descending down onto him, he realized for the first time that he had failed. He had never expected the dragon to wake, nor for her to destroy his illusions so quickly. With each shadow she killed, he was in more and more pain, and he couldn't stand it as his power was drained.</p>
<p>The bite was agonizing. The venom was almost instant and he collapsed onto the floor.</p>
<p>Elise and Shyvana shifted back into their human forms, panting, taking a moment to take in what had happened.</p>
<p>"What was that?" Shyvana asked.</p>
<p>Elise studied his clothes. "A Noxian assassin. Darius sent him after me." The realization dawned on her. Of course, she couldn't have fled Noxus without consequences.</p>
<p>"Are you alright?" Shyvana walked over, scanning her for any injuries, hands cupping her face to lift it so she could look at her neck. There was a scratch where the blade was pressed. "Shit, did he hurt you?"</p>
<p>Elise grabbed her hands and moved them off her. "No, I'm fine. Thanks to you."</p>
<p>The dragon was still catching her breath. The panic she felt when she saw Elise surrounded was not fully gone. She didn't know what else to do so she brought the spider woman into a hug. "I'm glad," she said.</p>
<p>"What do we do with his body?" she asked against the dragon's chest.</p>
<p>"We'll call the guards. They'll take care of it." She pulled away to look into Elise's eyes. "How did he even get in?"</p>
<p>"He's a sorcerer. How could he not get in?" She tried to laugh but she was still shaken up.</p>
<p>"Well, he's a dead sorcerer now. I'll alert the guards." Shyvana threw a tunic on from the chair, before looking down and frowning. "I swear this had a hole in it."</p>
<p>Elise smiled. "You're welcome."</p>
<p>"You fixed it?"</p>
<p>She nodded.</p>
<p>"Wow. Thank you." She chuckled at the closed seam. "How did you do it? Did it take you long? Did-"</p>
<p>"Shyvana, it wasn't hard. But it does cost you."</p>
<p>The dragon raised her eyebrows. Elise smirked, tapping her lips, getting her to bend down and give her a kiss.</p>
<p>"I suppose that will have to do for now," the spider woman said.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The guards were clueless as to how he had gotten into the city, but they took care of the body and that was all that mattered. Shyvana could finally head up and go to bed. She slumped down face first with a groan. Dealing with the royal guard was the worst.</p>
<p>She felt the covers being tugged from under her so she shifted, only to be tucked in. Elise pressed a kiss on her forehead, lying down next to her.</p>
<p>"We made a good team again," Shyvana mumbled. She pulled Elise closer to her.</p>
<p>"We did, though it was my fault he was here."</p>
<p>"It was Darius' fault."</p>
<p>"I should have known it would happen. I was foolish to think I could stay in one place."</p>
<p>Shyvana frowned. "You don't mean..."</p>
<p>"I do." She watched the dragon's expression grow more disappointed. "It wouldn't be for long. Just while things blow over. I'll have to wander around for a bit. Travel to some different regions."</p>
<p>"Where?"</p>
<p>"I don't know. Ionia? Piltover maybe. I would go to Bilgewater but the smells... maybe I'll pass this time." She felt her own disappoint rise too. "It's for the best."</p>
<p>"Can I come?"</p>
<p>Elise's eyes widened. "You want to come with me?"</p>
<p>"Why wouldn't I? I'm suspended for a whole month. And I really do want to travel. Especially with you." Shyvana gulped, hoping Elise wouldn't mind her tagging along.</p>
<p>"Of course you can come." She smiled. "We'll go wherever you want to see."</p>
<p>The dragon beamed. Her heart was brimming with excitement which she was sure Elise could notice. As she looked into her scarlet eyes she realized what she had been feeling all along, but had struggled to put into words.</p>
<p>"I love you, Elise."</p>
<p>The spider woman was taken aback. She hadn't expected Shyvana to voice her feelings so confidently. She said it so softly, so vulnerable to however Elise responded next. But the spider woman had already known for a while what she wanted to say.</p>
<p>"I love you too, Shyvana."</p>
<p>They snuggled closer together, basking in each other's warmth. It wasn't long before they fell asleep, and, despite everything, had a peaceful night, cradled safely in each other's arms. Tomorrow morning, they would discuss their travel plans and start the preparations. Runeterra didn't seem big enough to contain them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I didn't know what the spiders ate, but I brought extra cake anyway!" Quinn opened up the box onto the kitchen counter to reveal the cake. It read "welcome home" in red frosting.</p>
<p>"Thank you!" Elise said, surprised as the scout hugged her.</p>
<p>"We missed you guys!"</p>
<p>Shyvana walked in wearing an apron that she had somehow managed to already get dirty. "The burgers will be ready soon. Everyone coming?"</p>
<p>"If the burgers are nearly done then who's watching them?" Elise asked.</p>
<p>The dragon rubbed the back of her neck. "Fiora threw me off barbecue duty. I may have burnt a few things so she's doing it now."</p>
<p>"It's for the best." The spider woman winked as they headed back outside.</p>
<p>The air was still and it was a nice summer day. Uwendale was visible from here, only a ten-minute walk down the dirt path, but far enough that the area was particularly quiet, and no locals were alarmed by the presence of giant spiders. The cabin was spacious and nicely built, and underneath its rustic exterior was a basement large enough that the spiders had plenty of room to nest. On the surface, the house was made cozy with furniture that Quinn had helped build and mementos from Shyvana and Fiora's trip through Runeterra.</p>
<p>"Bring me your plates." Fiora clicked the tongs a few times before handing the burgers out to everyone.</p>
<p>They sat down on a picnic blanket as they chatted about the trip.</p>
<p>"You should have seen! They had these giant robots but I have no idea how they controlled them." Shyvana said. She had grown fond of the massive structures in Piltover.</p>
<p>"Yes, you also argued with a police officer."</p>
<p>"She accused me of trespassing!"</p>
<p>Elise chuckled. "Because you wanted to wander right into Heimerdinger's lab."</p>
<p>"I wanted to see the robots better."</p>
<p>The chatter was lighthearted and full of laughs. Elise even thought it was nice to be back, which was strange since she had never thought Demacia would ever be her home. After traveling Runeterra though, she realized the places they traveled through were less important than the person she was with. It also helped that Shyvana's friends had after all been so accepting of her, and they quickly got to know each other. Now she felt like she was truly part of the group.</p>
<p>Quinn had even brought Mr. Stripes along to their house warming party, and his curious eyes studied Elise for a few moments, before wandering over to her. He sniffed her hands a few times, poking her with his nose. She picked up a berry from their bowl of fruit and held it out to him, only to have it snatched by Valor.</p>
<p>"Valor!" Quinn said. "That's so rude of you, come back here!" But Valor had already flown up into a tree, cawing at her indignantly.</p>
<p>Mr. Stripes stared at the bird and yelped, seeing his berry stolen. His ears flopped and he looked back at Elise with sad little eyes.</p>
<p>"It's ok there's plenty more." She grabbed him a strawberry and he lit up, holding it with his paws and gnawing on it happily.</p>
<p>As the day drew to a close, they started to pack up before the mosquitos came out.</p>
<p>"And if you need anything I'm not far!" Quinn said, grabbing Valor and Mr. Stripes, ready to go. "Come by anytime."</p>
<p>"Thanks. You too."</p>
<p>"Before I go," Fiora said, walking over to her steed and unbuckling a rucksack. "I brought these for you, Elise." She opened it to reveal a stack of books. "I saw how great your collection was in Noxus when we went back for the spiders and I'm sorry it all burnt. These are from House Laurent. They're not the same, but I hope you like them."</p>
<p>"Thank you... I don't know what to say."</p>
<p>"No need." She handed her the rucksack. "I better be off now." She mounted her horse and set off back to Demacia, while Quinn walked back into Uwendale.</p>
<p>"Is it heavy? Let me help you." Shyvana reached out for the rucksack but Elise pulled it away from her.</p>
<p>"No dirty hands on the books. Thank you though." She carried it over her shoulder as they headed back inside. She put them down in the living room. They would soon need to put up some shelves for them and she looked at the wall, picturing where they should go. It was so kind of Fiora to gift them to her.</p>
<p>Shyvana came up from behind and slid her arms around her, kissing her cheek.</p>
<p>"You smell of smoke." Elise chuckled, turning round to face her.</p>
<p>"You mean I smell of delicious barbecue."</p>
<p>"No," she draped her arms over her shoulders. "I did just mean smoke."</p>
<p>The dragon bent down and kissed her, pulling her close.</p>
<p>A woodpecker knocking was the only thing disturbing the quiet.</p>
<p>"I should probably shower then," Shyvana said.</p>
<p>"We really should be conserving water. Who knows if there'd be enough for two separate showers."</p>
<p>"What? No no, the plumbing is really good there's no need-" she noticed Elise's smirk. "Oh." She blushed. "You're right actually."</p>
<p>Elise reached up and placed another kiss on Shyvana's lips. "It always takes you a minute." She sniggered, and even though they were both ready to go, they stayed and stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds. A calming moment came over them.</p>
<p>"Elise?"</p>
<p>"Mm?"</p>
<p>"Are you sad you're not home?"</p>
<p>"But I am."</p>
<p>Shyvana's face slowly lit up. "Then I'm glad we both are."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And well... there's that! Was it kinda sappy/cheesy? Maybe. But did I have fun writing this? Hell yes!</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who read! You're all awesome! I really appreciated everyone's comments and kudos, it means a lot :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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